Hot-hitting Owen Miller becoming an everyday starter for Guardians

The Guardians entered the season with some question marks on the right side of the infield, with several possible scenarios at first base and second base.

So far, the answer has been simple: play Owen Miller somewhere and figure out the other spot.

A year ago, Miller was torching Triple-A pitching. He was putting up numbers that would have looked a bit more normal in a video game. But the success didn't follow him up I-71 to Cleveland when he was called up.

Fast forward a year and that hot streak has arrived. Miller is off to a torrid start to the season, one that hit a crescendo in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds that improved the Guardians' record to 4-2.

Miller slugged two home runs, one to left field and one to right-center. He now has seven extra-base hits — those two home runs and five doubles — in the first six games of the season. He's hitting .524 with a 1.593 OPS, and if not for rookie standout Steven Kwan, Miller would be the biggest story of the season.

And in addition to Kwan and Jose Ramirez, who has an OPS of 1.576 and also hit his third home run on Wednesday, Miller has helped to lift the Guardians to a four-game winning streak during which they have scored at least seven runs.

"You know what, and I think the guys know, you get rewarded here if you hit the ball the other way," manager Terry Francona told reporters in Cincinnati, referring to Miller's opposite-field home run. "Josey took one of the prettiest swings I've ever seen him take, but Owen hitting that ball, that's good hitting, man. I'm glad when guys get rewarded for that."

Miller entered the season as an option at second base and first base but without a clear path to a high number at-bats. Now, there's no doubt he'll play on a near-daily basis in the foreseeable future. The only question is which glove will he need that day.

Miller and Yu Chang figured to get at-bats at second whenever Andres Gimenez wasn't there, which is also tied to where Amed Rosario plays on a daily basis. At first base, Bobby Bradley has had a clear opportunity to take the job but hasn't been able to secure it. Chang and Bradley are now behind Miller at one spot or another and out of lineup when Rosario plays shortstop and Gimenez is at second.

Francona has often said in the past that a manager's job when a hitter is this hot is to simply stay out of his way. It might have been a year later than the Guardians had hoped, but Miller's name will be written into the lineup on a daily basis somewhere — at least as long as he continues to hit.

Guardians want Eli Morgan to be a weapon

The shortened spring left teams, including the Guardians, with a rotation of starting pitchers who aren't yet ready for a normal workload.

Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and others were right around 70 pitches their first time through the rotation.

Triston McKenzie is a bit behind, as he first appeared as a piggy-back reliever on Opening Day before starting Wednesday's game. McKenzie was sharp, allowing just three hits and striking out six in four scoreless innings on 67 pitches.

That situation has increased the need for multi-inning relievers or converted starting pitchers who can come out of the bullpen and ease the burden on the bullpen due to the shortened starts. It is in that role, at least early on, that Francona has noted that Eli Morgan could be considered a weapon.

Francona said as much this spring, and pitching coach Carl Willis said Morgan was at the top of the list of pitchers who could fill that role, along with Logan Allen, Sam Hentges and others capable of throwing multiple innings after a short start.

On Wednesday Morgan allowed just one hit — a home run — and struck out four in three innings in relief of McKenzie.

"He's got three pitches, but he's got two pitches that give guys a difficult time, with his change-up and his fastball, going back and forth," Francona said Wednesday. "He got himself in a 3-2 count, you don't want to walk somebody. But he's doing a good job and I think we foresee him really helping us."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

Home Opener

Giants at Guardians

Time: 7:10 p.m. Friday

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes

Pitchers: Carlos Rodon (0-0, 1.80) vs. Zach Plesac (0-0, 0.00)

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Owen Miller becoming an everyday starter in Guardians lineup