Braves right-hander Shelby Miller didn’t try and pretend it would be just another start when he faces the Cardinals on Saturday at Busch Stadium.
He’ll be up against the team that traded him to the Braves after last season and Miller said he’d be feeling a little extra juice when he takes the mound.
“For sure,” Miller said. “I think that’s kind of hard not to have that. I’m just excited to go back out there and pitch. Obviously, St. Louis has great fans. They’ve always been known for that. I’m sure they are going to have some good crowds on this weekend and it will be fun to go out there and pitch on a Saturday night.”
The Braves acquired Miller from the Cardinals for outfielder Jason Heyward. After two full seasons with the Cardinals, Miller has blossomed from a promising young prospect into an All-Star with the Braves.
This season Miller is on pace for career-bests in ERA (2.33), walks and hits per inning pitched (1.65) and opponent batting average (.225). He’s already pitched two shutouts, including holding the Marlins to no hits through 8 2/3 innings.
In St. Louis Miller was 26-18 with a 3.33 ERA. He also pitched in five postseason games and posted a 5.27 ERA.
Miller saw six of his old teammates at the All-Star game. He said he looked forward to catching up with some others this weekend.
“This place brings back a lot of good memories from the stretch I had here,” Miller said. “But at the same time, we are in here to do our job and get wins. All of the fun stuff aside, I’ve got a huge start tomorrow morning and I’ll try to go out and get a huge win for the team.”
