Wade Miley — stopper?

When the Diamondbacks take the field Wednesday night,
they’ll carry with them a four-game losing streak and a
sub-.500 record that reflects losses in six of their last
seven games.

But it may be okay, because Wade Miley’s on the mound. (If
you want to tweet that last line, be sure to include the
hashtag: #thingsineverthoughtidsay.)

Every major league club needs a stopper — a pitcher who a
team can count on to end a losing streak and reverse
momentum. And Miley, the last guy to make the D-backs 25-
man
roster this season, has already played the stopper
role in some capacity this season.

Remember the first weekend of the season, when Josh
Collmenter went just three innings, allowing six runs to
the Giants? It was Miley who came in and stopped the
bleeding, holding the Giants to no hits and no runs while
his defense committed four errors behind him. His
performance, of course, allowed the D-backs to rally,
scoring seven runs off of Matt Cain and Jeremy Affeldt to
complete the sweep of the Giants.

Then, do you remember that long, rain-delayed game against
the Rockies in Denver, when J.J. Putz blew a save to spoil
a D-backs six-run comeback? That was Collmenter’s second
start. He gave up five runs in four innings but, after the
delay, it was Miley who came in to, once again, stop the
bleeding — pitching three scoreless innings while his
team mustered up a go-ahead rally.

Could it be that Miley — the Opening Day ordained long
relief man who only got a spot in the starting rotation
because of a shoulder injury to Daniel Hudson — plays the
stopper role again on Wednesday as he faces the red-hot
Cardinals? He seems to be as good a candidate as any D-
backs
pitcher.

“[Wade] takes things with a grain of salt,” Kirk Gibson
said of Miley’s mental makeup and light-hearted approach
to the game. “He doesn’t get bogged down with the negative
aspects of what he might encounter.

“He doesn’t really change. He has a pretty consistent
approach everyday, no matter what he’s doing or where he’s
at… He adds a different perspective to whatever
situation [the team’s facing].”

After Tuesday night’s blowout loss to the Cardinals,
Gibson referenced a stop from last season, one that
halted a six-game skid for the D-backs and set them on
that incredible winning tear, during which they won 17 of
19 games. The stop he was referring to was Collmenter’s
first career start — a six-inning, two-hit shutout
performance in Los Angeles. Who would have picked the guy
from Homer, Michigan with a funky delivery to be the
stopper then? Who would have picked Collmenter to be the
catalyst of that historic D-backs torrent of winning?

Miley’s in such a position Wednesday night as the D-backs
finish off their thirteenth consecutive day of play and
look to salvage a win in their third straight series loss.
Can he play stopper once again?

Follow @Vincemarotta