Houston Astros: Wade Miley is impressively picking up where he left off

Houston Astros pitcher Wade Miley has been a solid acquisition this season and he has picked up right where he left off from last season. What’s going on?

The Houston Astros were able to masterfully take down the Los Angeles Angels in their two-game set in Monterrey, Mexico. As the proliferation of Major League Baseball starts to go beyond borders during the season, the site is an excellent area to spread the franchise’s brand.

Just from watching the games, Houston Astros fans, as well as Monterrey residents alike, know the significance of the team’s effervescence.

Specifically, when Josh Reddick would come up to bat, I noticed fans would belch out his signature “woooo,” obviously a play-off of retired pro wrestler Ric Flair tagline.

I’m not sure if the turnstile count at Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey was what the MLB was looking for but they averaged 17,896 fans for the weekend. This, of course, is far below what the Houston Astros average during the season at Minute Maid Park but it does indicate that there’s interest in this team there.

The Houston Astros are currently averaging 32,470 fans per game at Minute Maid Park this season which is good for 11th in the MLB so it dwarfs in comparison but I think this could be the beginning something on the regular.

Who knows? A series in Puerto Rico, where Carlos Correa is a native? I’m sure that’s a strong possibility but the fact that this team is doing more international play in their schedule goes to show that Houston Astros baseball extends well beyond the boundaries of the Bayou City.

But speaking of good news, it’s important to note in regard to how solid of an acquisition Wade Miley has been for this team.

Dating back to last season, the lefty hurler has posted a 7-4 record, a 2.78 ERA and 17-6 team record which, needless to say, goes to show that this team is chugging along just fine without Dallas Keuchel, who still remains a free agent.

This team would be a lot better with Keuchel and the Houston Astros have extended their desire to bring him back but I’m sure Dallas wants things on his terms. And that’s why he remains in a stalemate with the rest of the league.

Miley, who was signed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal this offseason yields tremendous value for the services that he provides. Although he hardly looks like an athlete, it’s his natural instincts that have made him successful in the pros.

Although he’s usually good for giving up a home run per game, he’s still kept the overall collateral damage to a minimum, ensuring that his starts remain of quality.

Miley pitched in the inaugural Monterrey game Saturday evening and he allowed six hits, two

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earned runs, one homer and tossed two strikeouts. He doesn’t walk guys that often so at least he’s keeping the bases from getting loaded up. If he continues to work on batters trying to score and keep the bases clear, I think he’ll hold up just fine.

The Angels hit on average of .239 against him this past Saturday night so that’s still notable. He has mainly been able to do his damage with his cutter that sits around 89 mph. He gets a lot of grounders from it and the velocity is pretty darn good.

So although life would be better with Keuchel on the bump, life isn’t so bad without him with Miley at the helm.

Let’s hope he continues to improve as his ERA and WHIP continue to tumble with each start that he makes.

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Miley has posted a 2-2 record, a 3.20 ERA, while tossing 23 strikeouts along with a 1.17 WHIP through 39.1 innings pitched this season (seven starts).

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