If there was one thing the Boston Red Sox could not afford on Saturday in their second game of the series at Fenway Park, it was to have starter Jake Bennett run out of gas and have the threadbare bullpen tested. But that was what happened as Bennett started strong, lost his way in the fifth and sixth innings and gave way to Justin Slaten for 0.2 innings and Raymond Burgos, who allowed two runs in 3.0 innings of the 7-2 loss. Next up is a bullpen game and, according to the A’s game notes (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive), new Sox reliever Erik Miller will take the opening duties.
Cotillo wrote on Twitter/X: “Per Athletics notes: Erik Miller starting for Red Sox today in a bullpen game.”
Miller is the 6-foot-5 lefty reliever the Red Sox got in the swap with the Giants for Marcelo Mayer. He arrive with a 2-0 record and a 2.76 ERA from the Giants, though he had an unsightly 22 walks in 32.2 innings of work. Since coming to Boston, he has thrown 2.1 innings in two appearances, with just one walk and has struck out four of the eight batters he has set down.
Erik Miller Has Started 10 Times
Miller has not started a bullpen game since 2024 in San Francisco, when he did it 10 times and gave up just one run in 10.2 innings pitched. The Red Sox probably won’t ask him to go more than an inning, something he has done only four times this season.
The most recent was the thrilling 13-inning Red Sox win over the White Sox on Thursday, a game in which manager Chad Tracy used nine pitchers after Ranger Suarez lasted just 3.0 innings. Miller went 2.0 innings in that game, allowing a hit and a walk and striking out three.
Erik Miller Surprised by Red Sox Trade
Miller has been mostly a sidenote to the Red Sox’s trade deadline plan, which involved selling off some of the much-hyped young pieces that were supposed to be long-term parts of Boston’s future, including big-leaguers Mayer and Connelly Early. But if he can keep throwing strikes and control his electric stuff, he would be a valued asset for a bullpen that did seem to need at least one more arm.
The trade of Mayer caught some by surprise. Including Miller.
“It definitely wasn’t expected,” Miller said via The Boston Herald. “I didn’t really know until it flashed up on the TV when I was getting ready to go out and play catch. It wasn’t really much of a heads up, but that’s kind of how it is with some of these things. You don’t get a big heads-up. But yeah, I mean [I’m] super excited though, when I saw that [on TV] obviously, to come to a place that’s contending, playing some meaningful games, it’s really cool.”
Red Sox Bullpen Being Tested
The timing is good, too. The Red Sox currently lead baseball with a 2.91 bullpen ERA and a 1.14 WHIP this season. The starters have been good, so the bullpen inning count (436.0) is not terrible–they rank 15th. But as the rotation has worn down some, so have the relievers, and another arm is welcomed.
The Red Sox have been shuttling relievers between Boston and Triple-A Worcester all weekend, with Greg Weissert going to down and replaced by Burgos, who was then sent down on Saturday night and replaced by Seth Martinez, who is likely to see some action on Sunday.
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