Braves' Miller attempting to halt 17-start winless drought
Atlanta Braves right-hander Shelby Miller attempts to avoid a dubious franchise record when he goes for his first victory in more than three months Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies.
Miller has endured a nightmarish stretch of 17 consecutive starts without a win - the longest drought in franchise history since Jo-Jo Reyes' 18-start blight during the 2008-09 seasons.
Shelby Miller is 1st Braves pitcher to have 17 straight winless starts in a season since Carl Morton in 1976. .@EliasSports #stlcards
— Mark Tomasik (@retrosimba) August 22, 2015
Another loss or no-decision would give Miller the team record for most starts without a victory in a season season, breaking the mark currently held by Carl Morton (17, 1976), who also holds the franchise record of 22 consecutive winless outings dating to the previous season.
Miller's hard-luck season has been well-documented - he owns a 3.11 ERA and has received a scant average of 1.55 runs during the 17-start skid dating to May 23.
Shelby Miller has thrown 12 QS in his last 18 outings. He is 0-9 in that stretch while maintaining a season 2.50 ERA. #Unreal
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) August 25, 2015
In addition, Miller has a chance to match Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as the only pitchers in franchise history to post a 2.50 ERA while making at least 25 starts.
"It's frustrating for him and for us," Braves right fielder Nick Markakis season. "We just got to keep plugging away."
(h/t MLB.com)
