Given an opportunity to promote Dickson, the club instead chose to call up Joe Kelly for Sunday's start against Cleveland. Top prospect Shelby Miller has struggled so far in a year that is supposed to serve as his springboard to the big-league rotation in 2013.
Miller's development has become a secondary story line to the parent club's medical crisis. However, an initial reluctance and eventual inability to sign free agent Roy Oswalt roughly coincided with Jaime Garcia's loss to the disabled list because of shoulder issues. Garcia landed on the DL Thursday, three days after Colorado reached agreement with free agent Jeff Francis following his release by Cincinnati.
The Cardinals once envisioned Miller as an option this summer should one of their starters be lost for an extended period. That vision has been clouded with Miller's harsh baptism at Memphis,where he deals with a 5.18 ERA, erratic velocity and averages less than five innings per start and is 4-4.