It was just the third complete game of his 255-start career. Meanwhile, it was already the fourth no-hitter in this not-quite-six-week-old season.
So can we sum up Wade Miley's entry in the record books Friday by saying that an unremarkable pitcher did something increasingly unremarkable? Perhaps, except that his season numbers look like this:
Clearly, then, I'm forced to remark on it, especially since he was already gaining traction as a free agent pickup and remains available in 41 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Surely, this is the performance that should bring us fence-straddlers all the way home, yes?
Eh ...
Look, I just can't muster enthusiasm for a 34-year-old who has never been more than a streamer type over his 11-year career. Even when he turned in a solid ERA two of the past three years, it was over short outings and with a minimal strikeout rate. As good as he's been this year, the no-hitter was just his third quality start, which shows that the Reds generally don't want him going more than five innings at a time.
True, his 3.35 xFIP and 3.25 xERA are both his best on record and would suggest his peripherals and quality-of-contact numbers go a long way toward backing up his performance, but it's not like his stuff has changed in any discernible way. He's throwing his changeup more, which has been his best swing-and-miss pitch, but his overall swinging-strike rate is actually down. His control also has been too good to sustain, judging by his track record.
I'm not even saying he won't deliver a respectable ERA. Again, in two of the past three years, he has, and it stands to reason that in an environment where so much of the offense is generated by home runs, the third-best ground-ball pitcher in baseball will be able to limit the most serious damage. But it'll be a hollow ERA if he does, which will make him a not-so-impactful starting pitcher overall.
You know, the kind of starting pitcher best used as a two-start streamer in a week when the matchups are right ... which has long been true for him anyway.
