Eric Sorenson
Following spring training, nobody would have guessed Wade Miley would be the Arizona Diamondbacks most consistent starter.
With Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson anchoring the top of the rotation and veterans Joe Saunders and newly acquired Trevor Cahill rounding things out, many wondered where the 25-year old lefty would fit on Kirk Gibson’s staff.
Halfway through the season, it’s clear to see if the Diamondbacks are going to make a run at defending their National League West title, they’ll need a repeat performance from Miley who improved to 9-3 with a minuscule 2.19 ERA following Sunday’s dominant win over the Cubs at Chase Field.
The Snakes 2008 first-round pick out of Southeastern Louisiana isn’t surprised by his personal success this year, even if others have been.
“I’ve had high expectations for myself,” Miley told Brad Cesmat Tuesday on ‘Big Guy on Sports.’ “Early on I struggled a little bit as I was trying to get a feel for [pitching], but I’ve got a little confidence…that makes things easier. We’ve played great when I’ve pitched.”
With Wednesday’s news of Hudson being lost for upwards of 18 months after tests showed he tore an ulnar collateral ligament one night earlier against the Braves, the club will turn to Miley to shoulder even more of the load as Arizona tries to track down the Dodgers in the NL West.
The question many fans and media members have asked is does Miley deserve to represent the Dbacks at the All-Star Game July 10th at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City?
The soft-spoken southerner says his attention right now is on the team, not himself.
“I don’t want to get caught up in that,” Miley explained to Cesmat. “We still have two weeks left to go [before the break]. I just want to stay focused on our team goal.”
