If he's considered the fifth starter on a team that took a 4 1/2-game lead over the second-place New York Yankees and won its seventh straight game last night, Wade Miller's performance could be considered satisfactory, if not respectable, in allowing five runs in six innings in the Red Sox' 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.
However, if you're looking for a little more out of Miller, who went 10 days between starts because of shoulder tendinitis, he certainly didn't knock your Sox off.
The righthander, who has a history of shoulder problems, surrendered two home runs, threw a wild pitch, and walked three on a night when he was bailed out by another strong offensive performance by the Sox' lineup, which got a three-run homer from Manny Ramirez, before the left fielder exited the game after a second-inning collision with shortstop Edgar Renteria.
Ramirez's injuries, which included contusions on the right side of his face and chest, sore ribs, and being poked in the eye, were not considered serious. He was listed as day to day by the Sox' medical staff. Ramirez, who had his eye examined at Massachusetts General Hospital, could miss this afternoon's series finale.
Renteria remained in the game until being pinch hit for by Doug Mirabelli in the seventh inning. After the game, manager Terry Francona indicated that Renteria's ribs were sore but nothing was broken, and there's a possibility he will play this afternoon.
Miller, who evened his record at 4-4 while his ERA climbed from 4.57 to 4.78, hadn't pitched since a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox July 23, when went seven innings, allowing five hits. But he experienced tightness and soreness after that start and needed some extra rest before pitching last night.
The righthander's fastball was erratic early, as he surrendered a two-run homer to Emil Brown on an 88-mile-per-hour pitch in the second inning, though in the fifth and sixth innings he was popping 92-m.p.h. heaters. Miller threw 105 pitches and was done after surrendering a leadoff double to catcher John Buck in the seventh.
Mike Myers, Chad Bradford, and Mike Timlin preceded Curt Schilling, who easily protected the three-run lead for his seventh save.
''The shoulder was fine. I didn't have any problems," said Miller. ''I warmed up pretty good. Probably the best I've warmed up all year. I took advantage of the two [extra] days off, so it was something that I talked over with the trainers and they thought it was a good idea."
While Miller might not get many style points, he gets points for guts from Francona and his teammates.
