BALTIMORE - When it comes to pitchers, the Indians have one important rule.

"We want to use our best pitchers as much as possible, but not too much," said manager Terry Francona.

It is the thin line that every manager walks: do everything necessary to win today, but don't wear out your best arms for tomorrow. Francona says he momentarily crossed that line with left-hander Andrew Miller. It's why Miller pitched the ninth inning Saturday night in the second game of a doubleheader and again on Sunday as the Indians swept a four-game series from the Twins.

In both games, closer Cody Allen, pitched before Miller.

Miller and Allen are one of the best late-inning relief tandems in the big leagues. Miller's save on Sunday was his first of the season. Allen is 15-for-16 in save opportunities.

Francona said the switch is about "evening the workload." How long will it last? "For the time being," said Francona.

Last week Miller made consecutive appearances against the Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday in which he allowed tiebreaking home runs. He took the loss in both games, allowing four runs in two-thirds of inning on Wednesday night. It was the first time Miller had allowed four runs in a game since 2012.

"I don't think Andrew ever got over exposed, I think I pitched him too much," said Francona. "I was talking about that the other day. You don't ever see an ERA next to my name, but I should have got a couple of his runs.

"I was bothered by that last week. I shouldn't have done that. We say it all the time. We want our guys to pitch as much as possible, but not too much. That one outing was too much."

Francona was referring to Miller's loss on Wednesday night. The way Miller has pitched since the Indians acquired him at the trading deadline last year from the Yankees, it's news when he allows one run, much less four.

Miller does not think the change in roles will last long, but he made a point of thanking Allen for doing it.

"I think we're all good with it," said Miller after Sunday's 5-2 win at Target Field. "The communication was good. I think the biggest contribution is Cody not throwing a fit over it with him being the closer and having the flexibility to try this.

"It's certainly something that would not happen across the 30 closers in the big leagues. So it's a big credit to him.

Said Allen, "I've got zero issues with it."

Francona's managerial style is that he doesn't believe in waiting until the ninth inning to save a game. That sometimes means the set-up men - mainly Miller and Bryan Shaw - are going to pitch longer and in more pressure-packed situations than then the closer.

Since the start of June, Miller has made eight appearances, three for more than one inning. The irrepressible Shaw has made 10 appearance in June, three lasting more than one inning. Allen has made six, one for extra innings.

"Miller has thrown a lot of high-pressure innings," said Allen. "He's had a lot of extended outings. They come in bunches. It's that old adage, you're either pitching too much or you're not pitching enough. They come in waves.

"I think we knew coming into this (Twins) series that he'd been used a lot and we would find opportunities to stay away from him a little bit. Maybe go with me in extended (outings) a little bit over him. I think that was the plan and it work out perfectly."

In the two games against the Dodgers, Miller allowed five earned runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. In 27 appearances before those two games, he was 3-0 with a 0.29 ERA (one earned run in 31 1/3 innings) with 47 strikeouts, five walks and 14 hits allowed.

In fact, in his first 43 appearances with the Indians going back to last year, Miller allowed just six earned runs in 60 1/3 innings. So the two games against the Dodgers did not go unnoticed to Francona and the front office.

"I think the way the Dodgers series went for me I think they felt like maybe this was a chance to give Cody the middle of the lineup for an inning plus or whatever it is," said Miller "It made sense for a couple of days. The communication was there and Cody was ready and went in and did a good job."

Miller does not feel like he's been overused this year. He said he was ready to pitch against the Dodgers.

"Obviously, I was disappointed with the Dodgers' appearances, but I felt like I was competitive and I had a chance to make pitches when I needed to," he said. "You have to give credit to the hitters. You wish it didn't happen in bunches. It would be easier to deal with psychologically.

"Ultimately, physically I was able to handle it. I don't know if I could maintain that pace for an entire season or for an extended period of time. But I do my best to be honest with them and tell JB (Jason Bere, bullpen coach) and Mickey (Callaway, pitching coach) when I'm ready and when I'm available. They do a good job of taking care of us."

The Indians, starting with the Dodger series, are in a stretch where they play 28 games in 29 days leading into the All-Star break on July 10. Asked again had long the new arrangement at the back end of the pen will last, Miller said, "That's a question for Tito. We're in a tough stretch of games and days. They'll adapt as needed."