Astros: The Miley Chronicles Vol 2: Clubhouse Culture Embraced

The Astros needed a lefty, so the front office went after Wade Miley. He’s fit in nicely and has been embraced by the clubhouse as a welcomed edition.

Wade Miley came into the game on Thursday night hoping to continue the success he’s seen with the Astros so far. You are not going to find him in the Top 10 in wins, ERA, or even strikeouts, but he is leading in one category. I’ll talk about that more towards the end. The suspense I know is going to be hard to handle, but you got this.

Miley’s last 3 starts:

Wade Miley has captured the win in three consecutive starts. What made this start more special, is the fact that he surpassed the strikeout total of the last two starts combined. While it was raining cats and dogs outside, or inside Minute Maid depending on where you were sitting, Miley was racking up the strikouts.

He logged seven Ks this go around. In the seven strikeouts, Miley saw four Rangers go down swinging and three looking. His pitches were crisp and he commanded the strike zone very well.

Despite giving up a HR to former Astros legend Hunter Pence, he was almost flawless on the bump. He defiantly got a boost when the bats heated up and tied the game, then ultimately put the Astros in front permanently.

Here are a few stats from last night:

• Tied his season high 7 Ks
• Collected 18 swing and misses
• Got 14 called strikes with batters looking
• Holds the longest active streak of giving up three runs or less

Watching the game at home, I always love seeing the stats they bring up. They compared 2018 Dallas Keuchel to 2019 Wade Miley in their first eight starts. The numbers are encouraging to see:

• Dallas Keuchel        2-5, 3.53 ERA, .237 OPP AVG
• Wade Miley             2-2, 3.18 ERA, .225 OPP AVG

With the win last night, Wade Miley brings his record to 3-2, making him one of four starters who has collected three wins, all of which are tied for 2nd place on the staff, only behind Justin Verlander.

Clubhouse Culture

Wade Miley has fit in since day one, and earlier in the year A. J. Hinch mentioned in a post game interview, that Wade Miley stayed in the dugout after one of his starts and didn’t leave the bench until the end of the game. Hinch said “That’s the kind of guy he is.”

This clubhouse is unlike any other, and when you have guys like Josh “Spider-Man” Reddick saving HR’s and giving Miley a boost, he can get comfortable on the mound and throw with confidence. His scruffy look also shows up in his scrappy play, even in long pitch counts, he battles and never gets down on himself.

He is one of the great finds of the offseason and I see continued success for him on the mound. The team loves Miley, they trust him, and they know he’s going to give 100% every time he takes the bump.

Jeff Luhnow definitely struck gold with many of his signings, and while most fans questioned them, it appears early on that he “Hit the nail on the head” with Miley.