Miller sets mark through seven starts for Braves
CINCINNATI – Shelby Miller didn’t get a decision in Monday’s 2-1 win against the Reds, but the Braves’ emerging got a record of sorts.
Miller limited the Reds to one run in seven innings, reducing his ERA to 1.60 while becoming the first pitch to allow two earned runs or fewer in each of his first seven starts for the Braves since the team moved to Atlanta 50 years ago.
“Holy (bleep), he was dominant,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said a day later. “He still had at least a couple of pitches at 95 (mph) in the sixth inning.”
Miller allowed just three singles, two walks and a hit-by-pitch with eight strikeouts against the Reds, who were coming off a 10-game road trip and had racked up 19 homers in their past 13 games, including seven homers in three games in their last home series before the trip.
Power-hitting team in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the majors, but Miller did to them what he’s done to most everyone he’s faced since late last summer.
“This is obviously a tough ballpark to pitch in,” said Miller, a former Cardinal who is 2-1 with a 3.34 ERA in five career starts at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. “They’re a team that hits pretty good at home. They hit a lot of home runs, have a lot of power throughout the lineup. I just try to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible, get groundballs, get quick outs. And we did a good job of that tonight, especially against a team like that in this ballpark.
“So, just keep grinding away.”
Miller has taken his game to another level since adding a sinker to his repertoire after the All-Star break last season with the Cardinals. He is 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA and .180 opponents’ average in his past 14 starts, and in his past 12 starts he has a 1.55 ERA with 65 strikeouts, 20 walks and only five homers allowed in 75 1/3 innings.
