Shelby Miller's Clutch Outings Mean He Deserves Cardinals' Big-Game Trust

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't even secured a playoff spot, which means it's a bit early to map out the postseason rotation.

At 83-68 entering play Wednesday, St. Louis leads the Pittsburgh Pirates by 2.5 games in the National League Central with 11 left to play. Good odds but hardly a sure thing.

Still, if the Cardinals were mapping out their postseason rotation, Shelby Miller should be part of it.

Miller isn't the first name that springs to mind when you think about the Cards' starting options. First up would be ace Adam Wainwright, the NL Cy Young front-runner in a world without Clayton Kershaw.

Then there's Michael Wacha and Lance Lynn. Fine pitchers both. Come to think of it, this St. Louis rotation is pretty darn deep, thanks in no small part to Miller, who looks ready for his moment under the October glare. 

Miller has lasted at least six innings in eight of his last nine starts. And in three September outings, the 23-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 20 innings.

No. 1-quality numbers on a staff that's only looking for a solid No. 4.

At the trade deadline, St. Louis was looking for another starter. It got a pair: John Lackey from the Boston Red Sox and Justin Masterson from the Cleveland Indians.

Neither has been a resounding success. Lackey has posted a 5.05 ERA in eight starts since arriving under the Gateway Arch. He hasn't been exemplary, but he has been better than Masterson's 7.53 ERA in six starts.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

This brings us back to Miller, himself the subject of trade rumors this July. Despite winning 15 games and finishing with a 3.06 ERA in his first full big league season, Miller was mostly forgotten in the playoffs last year, pitching just one throwaway inning as the Cardinals advanced to their second World Series in three years.

Miller had a hard time masking his disappointment about his 2013 playoff snub, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"

There could be something that I don’t know about going on. Maybe I’ll have some understanding in the offseason. I think it’s more they’re just looking out for me, innings-wise. I don’t feel fatigued. I don’t feel tired. I feel really good. There is probably some answer that I don’t know about. I’ll wait to hear it.

"

Now, Miller is hearing the appreciative cheers of Cardinals fans. And he should soon be hearing manager Mike Matheny informing him he's part of the playoff plan.

If there are only four spots in the postseason rotation, and three go to Wainwright, Wacha (who is still working his way back from a shoulder injury, per MLB.com's Joe Harris) and Lynn, that leaves one vacancy.

Lackey deserves consideration based on his track record. The 35-year-old has appeared in 19 playoff games with the Los Angeles Angels and Red Sox, posting an impressive 3.03 ERA in 104 innings.

On a stage where poise and experience matter, Lackey's got the resume.

He should certainly be part of the Redbirds' October blueprint. Miller, though, with his recent run of success, has earned the right to jog onto the field with the rest of the Cardinals starters, to toss out the first pitch of a postseason contest.

Maybe the adversity has been good for Miller. Brian Feldman of KMOV.com thinks so:

"

Whether it was last October’s disappointment (for him personally, not the team), getting sent to the bullpen briefly this year or watching his best friend Joe Kelly get traded to Boston this past July 31st, something has changed within the Houston native.  Something is different within him.  He’s a different pitcher. He’s, dare I say, evolving into what we all thought he could be when he was drafted in the 1st round back in 2009.

"

Nothing's certain—for Miller or the Cards. Right now, though, it looks like their maps will follow a similar trajectory.

The only unknown is the destination.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.