ATL All Day
Fansided

Shelby Miller: A Never-Ending Lack of Run Support

By Matthew Schoettler

facebooktwitterreddit

With Shelby Miller becoming the Atlanta Braves’ go-to ace, he has suffered from a lack of run support throughout the season.

It should come as no surprise to Braves’ fans that Shelby Miller is lacking run support. Shelby Miller, the ace of the rotation, has a .357 win percentage while posting the rotation’s best ERA (2.48) and WHIP (1.16), not including his most recent dominant start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-= Related: Peter Moylan Called Up, Returns to Braves’ Roster =-

Miller, who started the season winning three of his first four decisions, has not won a decision since May 8th, pretty astonishing for a guy who is among the league leaders in ERA. He has been unable to record a win for 16 consecutive starts, while amassing eight losses during that same stretch.

"“It’s unbelievable, it really is. Just go out there and keep pitching the way he’s pitching, and he will start rattling off some wins. This guy is a straight pro.” – Fredi Gonzalez"

Last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Miller averaged 3.52 runs of support per start, and he has seen his run support drastically decrease as a member of the Braves, currently at 2.65 runs per start. With nearly a full run less of support per start, the Braves have only won 9 of the games he has started, opposed to 15 for the Cardinals last season.

More from ATL All Day

With Freddie Freeman nearing a return from the DL and Hector Olivera close to being called up, Braves’ fans can only hope that this will fix the woes that riddle Shelby Miller and the rest of the rotation. Freeman and Olivera figure to slot into the middle of the lineup and bolster the offensive attack.

The Atlanta Braves currently sit 13th out of 15 National League teams in total runs scored, with only the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins being worse. We can hope that by Freeman and Olivera supplanting Swisher and Garcia, the Braves total runs scored will trend in a more positive direction.

More from Atlanta Braves

By the Braves being out of contention, fans can understand the approach Fredi Gonzalez is taking with his younger talent. Gonzalez wants to see what the younger bats and arms can bring to the table; however, it comes at the expense of the more talented players on the roster.

In Miller’s case, along with other arms in the rotation, it is a frustrating scenario to put up great performances and rarely be rewarded. But with the home-stretch of the season upon us, the Braves are hoping to get closer to full strength in efforts to provide more run support and win more games.

Next: Cameron Maybin: Buy Low, Sell High?

More from ATL All Day

Home/Atlanta Braves