SOUTH GRAND — One of the assets that the St. Louis Cardinals planned to have in their bullpen last season was a sinister slider thrown from the left side that could confound and muzzle the best lefthanded sluggers in the game. It was a real, surefire strikeout pitch against lefties. The Cardinals had a guy who could throw it. The Cardinals certainly had reason to need it.

Then Tyler Johnson started feeling some discomfort in his left shoulder.

What pitching coach Dave Duncan said at the start of spring training was this:

“What we think that Tyler eventually will be able to do is on a very consistent basis is really go in and dominate that tough lefthanded hitter.”

Not-yet-signed, sealed LHP Trever Miller, shown here delivering.

They spent the season looking for somebody who could do that. Randy Flores didn’t have that kind of pitch. Ron Villone didn’t have that kind of role. The Cardinals, therefore, never had that kind of asset in their bullpen. Enter Trever Miller. The deal may not have been completed on the day as advertised — oddly, ESPN already has the Cardinals’ backdrop on Miller’s player page — but adding Miller to the bullpen would add that lefty shutdown specialist the new, repurposed Cardinals’ bullpen wants. As Duncan said a few weeks, on the eve of free agency, he would like to have an arm available late in the game that come in and face the Ryan Howards of the world.

Columnist Bernie Miklasz illuminated us on one element of Miller’s game that is key to the Cardinals’ interest (the ability to strand inherited runners). And back in the “Know Your LOOGYs” entry we discussed some of Miller’s virtues. The picture in that entry and to the right here shows how his lower arm-slot delivery helps make him effective against lefthanded hitters — and maybe a tad more vulnerable to righthanders. It also discusses his Dunn-Howard Index, something this aims to expand upon.

Miller has carved a niche as that late-inning, lefty muzzle. Here’s how he’s done against some lefties that he’s had a significant history against.

NOTABLE LEFTY HITTERS vs. MILLER

OF Adam Dunn … 1-for-7, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K

DH David Ortiz … 1-for-11, 1 2B, 0 BB, 4 K

1B Ryan Howard … 2-for-7, 1 BB, 2 K

2B Chase Utley … 2-for-7, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K

1B Jason Giambi … 2-for-10, 5 BB, 4 K

OF Ken Griffey Jr. … 1-for-10, 1 BB, 3 K

DH Travis Hafner … 1-for-6, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K

OF Johnny Damon … 6-for-14, 1 HR, 3 BB, 3 K

1B Todd Helton … 1-for-10, 1 BB, 1 K

***

SAMPLING OF LEFTIES vs. MILLER

Travis Lee … 1-for-16, 0 BB, 4 K

Nate McLouth … 1-for-7, 0 BB, 2 K

Cliff Floyd … 1-for-6, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K

Hideki Matsui … 4-for-16, 2 2B, 2 BB, 7 K

Chad Tracy … 2-for-7, 1 2B, 0 BB, 4 K

Rafael Palmeiro … 3-for-9, 2 HR, 1 BB, 0 K

Jim Edmonds … 0-for-7, 0 BB, 4 K

Kenny Lofton … 4-for-9, 1 BB, 2 K

Steve Finley … 6-for-13, 3 HR, 0 BB, 3 K

Robin Ventura .. 1-for-3, 2 BB, 0 K

Bill Mueller … 4-for-11, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 K

Brian Roberts … 4-for-6, 2 2B, 0 BB, 1 K

***

The complete list of is available over at Yahoo! Sports Trever Miller page — which, um, also has him listed as a St. Louis Cardinal this morning, just without the logo.

A kicker for those who read/scrolled down this far: A report in a Minnesota paper from many years ago contained an anecdote about how the Houston Astros, trying to reclaim a lost Rule 5 pick, offered Miller to Minnesota in exchange for a young lefthander named Johan Santana.

-30-