40 Shelby Miller, SP

Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller failed to go six innings for the second straight start and for the fourth time in nine starts Monday against the Padres. The right-hander continues to be plagued by high pitch counts.

Miller exceeded 100 pitches for the third time in four May starts and for the fifth time this season. 

"Throwing 20 pitches every single inning is not what I'm here to do," Miller said, per MLB.com. "Facing a good hitting offense on a big league club, it's not going to be easy to just throw it and have then swing at it every single time. Something I have to realize is to get the ball around the zone and hopefully things happen better."

Outside of the complete-game shutout he threw May 10, Miller is averaging more than 17 pitches per inning in his eight other starts.

"There are some nights where they're picking it up a little bit better and fouling it off," manager Mike Matheny said. "They're still not squaring up a lot of them. I think taking some shots down in the bottom of the zone more often may be part of the way to help him because the foul balls are typically the ones at the top."

Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller needed 107 pitches and couldn't finish the sixth inning Monday in San Diego. He only allowed three runs, but it was enough to suffer the defeat. 

Miller fell to 5-3 on the year with a 1.74 ERA, as he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks over 5 2/3. He struck out five in the loss. 

The 22-year-old clearly has been much better than his record would suggest with the low ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. He's struck out 62 over 57 innings. The loss was his first since April 28. Miller will make his next start Sunday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. 

The Cardinals are asking Shelby Miller to control the run game more efficiently, according to MLB.com.

Miller has been fantastic this season, but opposing base-runners are seven for eight off him. The Cardinals recently timed Miller with a stopwatch, and found he was too slow during his windup. Miller admitted he has been making some mental mistakes, and vowed to take care of the issue. 

Miller will work on his "hold" times during bullpen sessions, which will allow him to figure out the most effective ways for him to cut down on his time to the plate. Miller's next start will come May 20 against the Padres.

Cardinals starter Shelby Miller continued his scoreless run in his outing against the Mets on Wednesday night. After throwing a one-hit shutout his last time out, he worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up four hits while striking out six.

The right-hander retired the first two batters to extend his streak to 29 consecutive batters, dating back to his previous outing before David Wright hit a single. He was pulled with two out in the sixth after throwing 96 pitches, 65 for strikes, and left in line for the win. But the bullpen was unable to hold on and Miller ended up with a no-decision.

The 22-year-old also struck out six and walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.40.

Miller is scheduled to take the mound next on Monday against the Padres.

Cardinals' starters have gone deeper into games this year, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The rotation is a averaging 101.5 pitches per start. No other National League rotation has averaged over 100 pitches per start. The team's rotation has the second best FIP in baseball, with a 2.81 mark. The high pitch counts may be a result of the team's success in the rotation. It also shows the Cardinals are willing to let their starters go deeper in games if they are experiencing success. The team has already seen Adam Wainwright and Shelby Miller turn in complete games.

It's impossible to accurately predict complete games or shutouts for Fantasy purposes, but it's encouraging to know the Cardinals will let their starters throw a higher workload if things are going well.