Miller accepts up-and-down status
KANSAS CITY -- Perhaps the Red Sox are starting a trend -- a rotation for pitchers and catchers.
At least that's how it's seemed in the Sox lineups of late. The backstops have been coming and going since Jason Varitek went down with a knee injury July 31, and it's likely one more -- Corky Miller -- will be going in coming days.
Miller was called up from Pawtucket when Doug Mirabelli twisted his ankle in Tampa over the weekend, but a quick-mending Mirabelli is expected to be ready tomorrow. So with manager Terry Francona saying it's unlikely the team will stay with three catchers, it seems Miller's latest time in the big leagues is waning.
``You kind of know when Doug's on a day-to-day thing," Miller said. ``I'm sure whenever he comes back, you know, they'll need another spot. That's what a player like myself, this year, is going to be in that situation. You know, being up just in case, in an emergency, if they need another guy. That's what happened, and that's my job."
But before he goes, add his name to list of catchers to start games for the Sox this season. There are six of them -- Varitek, Mirabelli, Miller, Ken Huckaby (who yesterday cleared waivers and was outrighted to Pawtucket), Josh Bard, and Javy Lopez -- the most for the club since 1951 when seven (Les Moss, Buddy Rosar, Aaron Robinson, Mike Guerra, Matt Batts, Al Evans, and Sammy White) started for Boston.
Miller's status, Francona said, will be determined once Mirabelli is 100 percent.
``If [Mirabelli] can't play [tomorrow], I don't know," he said. ``I guess I can't make out the lineup two, three days ahead of time, especially right now the way our catching is. It's a little fluid. We're probably not going to go with three catchers. I told Corky when he came here that it may be for a few days. We'll see. That's just part of the nature of where we're at right now."
Miller has played one game since joining the team, starting Sunday against the Devil Rays. At the plate, Miller went 0 for 4 with one strikeout. He had been hitting well with the PawSox, hitting eight of his 11 home runs since the All-Star break, but Miller said that had little to do with his call-up.
``It wasn't like a situation where I got called up because I was doing well or anything like that," he said. ``I've been around a little bit, and I've played, so I don't really think too much about proving myself. You want to get opportunities to play, you want to be up there and help the Boston Red Sox win . . . [Coming up like this] is just part of the deal. It's understandable. Now you've got three catchers. You've got some guys that have been in the big leagues a long time. You're only going to be here as long as you're needed. Hopefully it will be a while, but I'm sure [Mirabelli] will be coming back soon."
Miller, who has a .190 average in the 89 games he's played in the major leagues, signed with the Sox as a minor league free agent in April after being released by Seattle earlier in the month. At the time, the Sox were trying to deal with a struggling Bard, who couldn't keep Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs in his glove. Miller most likely interested the Sox because he had caught knuckleballer Jared Fernandez while he was with the Reds, but Mirabelli's homecoming solved the problem and Miller stayed in Pawtucket, splitting duties with Huckaby.
Miller's start against Tampa Bay came with a familiar pitcher on the mound, and there was also a great deal of familiarity in the bullpen. Miller caught Sunday's starter Jason Johnson in Triple A as well as Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen, and Kyle Snyder, and said he spent time before Sunday's game talking with Mirabelli and Johnson to prepare for his start.
``You can't fill [Varitek's] shoes," Miller said. ``You're up here just trying to help as best you can."
