Young SF Giants lefty is establishing himself as a reliable bullpen arm

The bullpen for the SF Giants has been shaky so far this season. Camilo Doval has been strong as the closer, but things have been less solid in the rest of the bullpen. One pitcher who has had some bright moments is left hander Erik Miller.

Young SF Giants lefty is establishing himself as a reliable bullpen arm

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies after attending Stanford, Miller has been thought of as an intriguing hard thrower for some time.

Miller had to compete for a spot in the bullpen this Spring Training. He had never pitched in the major leagues before this season, but he had shown promise in the minors. He ended up being the only other lefty in the bullpen outside of Taylor Rogers.

He has had a bit of an up and down season thus far. Two of his first three outings were rough ones as he gave up 5 earned runs in less than three innings pitched. However, he has largely calmed things down since then.

He had a very strong performance against the Nationals in which he struck out the side. Since then his numbers have improved and he has looked much more comfortable on the mound.

The Giants have used him in versatile roles as well. He has been used mainly in mop up duty when a game is out of hand, but on Wednesday the Giants used him as an opener against the Red Sox. Then in Thursday's game in Boston he came in and pitched a flawless 7th innings, striking out Red Sox star Rafael Devers in impressive fashion.

His ERA is now down below 5.00 and it is clear that he is gaining confidence. With the bullpen being in flux, Miller is definitely impressing with his high velocity. He touched triple digits in the Thursday game in Boston. Perhaps Miller can eventually grow into a consistent late reliever with the team if he can build upon his recent success on the mound.

It is a long season and it is still very early, but Miller is trending in the right direction right now which is a great sign for a Giants bullpen that has struggled at times this season.