Atlanta Braves, Shelby Miller, Fall to Phillies 4-1

The Atlanta Braves lost their fourth consecutive game on Thursday, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 4-1.

Atlanta Braves’ starting pitcher Shelby Miller is win-less in his past 13 starts, unable to receive any run support from his offense. Miller pitched 6.0 innings, giving up 4 earned runs on 11 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 4. His ERA increased to 2.44.

The Atlanta Braves got out to an early 1-0 lead off the bat of catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who singled home Nick Markakis in the 3rd for the lone Braves run of the evening. The lack of run support for Shelby Miller over the past two months is criminal on the part of the Braves offense.

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The Philadelphia Phillies claimed the lead in the 4th inning when catcher Carlos Ruiz singled in the first two runs of the game for the Phils, scoring Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis, making the score 2-1. The Phillies would increase their lead in the 5th inning when Atlanta Braves killer Ryan Howard singled home second baseman Cesar Hernandez, stretching the lead to 3-1. The final Phillies run of the evening occurred in the 6th inning when right-fielder Domonic Brown hit his first home-run of the year off of Shelby Miller, finalizing the score at 4-1.

This was the Atlanta Braves fourth consecutive loss and seventh loss in their last eight games. With John Hart and the Braves’ front-office tinkering with the composition of the roster at this point in the season, one has to believe that the constant fear of being traded and the departure of key players is affecting the team’s psyche. Just yesterday, the Atlanta Braves sent pitchers Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, and Luis Avilan to the Los Angeles Dodgers and last week third-baseman Juan Uribe and infielder/outfielder Kelly Johnson were traded to the rival New York Mets.

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If the front-office expects the team to remain competitive, but is trading away key players, it will affect the confidence and play of the club. It is clear that the Atlanta Braves at this current time have jettisoned their postseason aspirations for 2015, and are playing like a club looking forward to next year.The Braves and their fans will have their first glimpse of third-baseman Hector Olivera when he returns from the Disabled List at some point in the next 10 days, perhaps renewing hope that the Braves can field a competitive team next season.

The Atlanta Braves continue their four game series with the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park as Williams Perez makes his return from the Disabled List.

Next: Atlanta Braves Complete 3 Team Trade With Dodgers, Marlins

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