MLB WORLD SERIES: PHILLIES VS ASTROS

October 30, 2022

Josh Miller

Citizens Bank Park

Houston Astros

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. Dusty just said you guys weren't even sure coming into the year if Rafael Montero was going to be able to contribute for you guys just given some of his health issues. What was he going through and what kind of has led to his ascension this year?

JOSH MILLER: We acquired him last year from Seattle because we had a real good idea of the quality of stuff he had and the command that he had to go along with it. He made a handful of outings with us, and then succumbed to a lat injury and didn't pitch for us for the rest of the year.

This off-season was kind of a question mark of what he would come in in spring training. We had expectations, but we didn't really know what he would come in as. And he came into spring. He was pretty good. And as the season went on, just grew into a very valuable, trusted member of the bullpen, and has been excellent in the 8th inning or 9th inning when Pressly has been down or injured this year, and really, like I said, a trustable asset in the bullpen.

Q. Is it solely the changeup that makes him so lethal against lefties or what makes him so good to both sides, hitter-wise?

JOSH MILLER: He throws really hard. He's got a mid to upper 90s four-seam fastball, a hard changeup that's kind of got down-diving action, and he commands both those pitches really, really well. He has a slider too that plays versus lefties. He just doesn't use it that often. So it's a three-pitch mix, and the command with the elite stuff allows it to play up tremendous.

Q. I wondered what you've seen from Lance since he's come back. Obviously, he hasn't pitched all that much this season, but he's obviously had good results. Could you just kind of talk about how you've seen him in the limited action he's had this year?

JOSH MILLER: Sure. Similar to Rafy, we didn't really know what to expect. He ended the season last year after the division series with an elbow injury, has been rehabbing for the first probably 60, 70 percent of the season, came back, made a handful of starts, and has increased the volume and pitch quality as he's gone. He's a big-game pitcher, wants the ball. We want him out there and excited to see him go tomorrow.

He's got elite curveball-slider combination with a sinker and a changeup to boot, and he'll be ready to rise to the occasion tomorrow.

Q. Dusty talked about Lance being a big-game pitcher. What makes him a big-game pitcher?

JOSH MILLER: Well, he's been there, he's done that, he's experienced it. He had the ball in Game 7 against the Dodgers in 2017. He was our ace going into the postseason last year. He's been there, he's done that, he's experienced the emotions that come along with pitching in big games, and he can handle that emotion and do well.

Q. Dusty said that Javier will probably go in Game 4. What do you think the advantage is of finally having a guy that the Phillies haven't seen yet?

JOSH MILLER: Javy's so unique in his own way, but it's definitely an advantage. Their hitters have not seen his stuff come from the unique delivery and the high-quality pitch combination that he has. So it should be in Javy's advantage when he does take the mound, and I would expect him to do very well also.

Q. With Abreu in Game 1 and then Montero last night you guys have really asked those two guys to do a lot. Is that just a product of how they match up with that pocket in the Phillies order? How do you think both of those guys responded to such big workloads?

JOSH MILLER: Yeah, they have both gone one-plus, or in Abreu's case even two-plus outings during the season, so it wasn't outside the normal ask for them to go 30 pitches or so in an outing. I felt like at the point in the game that they were pitching, in Game 1 for Abreu and last night for Monte, felt best about them carrying a little bit larger workload and it factored into the matchup where we were at in the lineup and the status of the game.

Q. For you personally being a former Phillies draft pick, what's it going to be like to coach a game at Citizens Bank Park and in Philly.

JOSH MILLER: It will be cool. I used to live in Philly in the off-seasons when I was a minor league player. I love Philadelphia. It's a really neat town. One of the few ballparks I've not gotten to coach in is Citizens Bank Park. I've been there as a fan before, but not on the field, so it will be a unique experience for me and it will be cool to be in the city of brotherly love again.

Q. To follow-up on Abreu, he obviously has had a great season. What do you think has been the biggest key to him taking kind of that next step this year and getting to a higher level?

JOSH MILLER: He's always had the elite stuff. We added him to the roster after the tremendous minor league season he had in 2018. He made his debut in 2019. We actually carried him on the ALCS roster against the Yankees then. 2020 was kind of a lost season for him due to COVID and the limitations that they had training-wise.

He came in ready to go last year. We used him in some big spots. He had kind of had an up-and-down performance but made a good step forward, in our eyes, and then this year just seemed to rise to the occasion and have the confidence and the elite stuff is playing, and he really has no fear going into any situation. And limiting the walks has been a huge part for him.