The Atlanta Braves continue to struggle on this recent road trip as they fell to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday which was their 19th road loss in 21 games. The Braves simply cannot play well away from Turner Field as they average just 2.4 runs on the road, dropping their last 25 of 30. Shelby Miller will be hard pressed to turn that around, not because of poor pitching, but because of the lack of run support he constantly gets.
Miller is 5-9 with a 2.43 ERA and yet has not won a game in more than three months. Miller's lack of wins is not because of poor pitching. He flirted with a no-hitter for the second time this season, holding things until the eighth innings with a blip single. He was charged with one run and 1- strikeouts in the game against Arizona. That followed the near no-hitter back in May against the Miami Marlins. Yet, the pitcher is 0-8 with a 3.03 ERA in his last 16 starts. The Braves are simply not getting him the runs needed to win games even though he has remained one of their best pitchers this season. The Braves have scored 15 runs total during those 16 games.
The Cubs will counter with Kyle Hendricks who is 6-5 with a 3.97 ERA on the mound. He has gotten the Cubs wins in his last four starts while posting a 5.66 ERA in the process. He admits he is frustrated with his performance while Chicago keeps getting him the run support needed to overcome his rising ERA.
"It's been frustrating," Hendricks said, via MLB's official website. "All year, trying to find the answer. All year, it hasn't felt right. Even when I had a good outing, it just happened that my hand position was good that day."
Hendricks could get back on track against the Braves considering their lack of offense. Freddie Freeman has the best track record at Wrigley Field, batting .357 in his last eight games. He has returned from a stint on the disabled list, but has yet to make a real impact in his return.