Hard-luck Miller loses again as Braves fall to Marlins
ATLANTA - Martin Prado and Justin Bour each had an RBI double in the eighth inning and the Miami Marlins extended Shelby Miller's winless streak to 19 starts with a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.
Miller, an All-Star with a sparkling 2.56 ERA, began the night with the worst support in the majors, and the Braves, losers in six straight and 13 of 14, stayed true to form.
Beginning the night with the worst average (.227) in the NL with runners in scoring position since the All-Star break, Atlanta has scored two runs or less in 20 of Miller's 27 starts.
Miller (5-12) gave up six hits and struck out seven in seven innings.
After getting blown out by an aggregate 38-11 score in a three-game series sweep by the New York Yankees, the Braves' offense was no match for journeyman Chris Narveson, a journeyman making his second start since 2012.
Narveson (2-1) allowed two hits, two walks and struck out three in 5 1-3 innings. He left the game with a blister on his left middle index finger.
Miller's 19-star streak is the longest in the majors this year and an in-season Atlanta record. Carl Morton has the longest franchise streak at 22 starts from Sept. 10, 1975-July 18, 1976.
"I've never seen anything like it to tell you the truth," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters of Miller's winless streak. "The more I've seen this, the more I believe forget about the wins and losses for a starting pitcher."
Miller, pitching on his usual five days' rest, was moved up one day in the rotation when Mike Foltynewicz was scratched three hours before the game with viral symptoms.
He's 0-11 with a 3.13 ERA since beating the Marlins 6-0 on May 17.
- With files from theScore