Atlanta Braves Bullpen Blows Game 2, Shelby Miller Pitches Great, Giants Win 8-3

The Atlanta Braves had a huge comeback victory on Monday night beating the San Francisco Giants 9-8 in extra innings. Then on Tuesday, the Braves battled back in the bottom of the 7th inning when they were down 2-1 to scored two runs and take the lead.  BUT, next was the Braves bullpen’s turn.  Unfortunately, their night was not successful.

In the top of the 8th inning, the Giants had back-to-back doubles, an intentional walk and then a home run by Hunter Pence.  San Fran scored four runs off Ross Detwiler and David Aardsma in the 8th and then added two more runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat the Braves 8-3.

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Shelby Miller, who started the game for the Braves, got another no-decision.  He has a 5-8 record in 2015 with a 2.44 ERA.  The 24-year-old went seven innings, giving up four hits, three walks and two earned runs.  He totaled three strikeouts and at a point in the game retired 11 in a row.

“He was great, he gave up a run in the 1st inning and then settled in the rest of the night,” Fredi Gonzalez told reporters.  “He had the lead in the 8th inning and we just couldn’t get through the inning.  That unraveled on us and he gets the no-decision.  But he was great and dominate through the whole game, you can’t ask for more from him.”

“My job is to go out there and put zeros up,” Miller said after Tuesday’s game.  Whether I go five innings, seven innings, good games or bad games, it’s all going to happen.  It was a tough loss for us, we were in a good situation to win the ballgame.  But it just fell apart in the 8th.”

Miller’s winless drought is now at 14 starts.  He has now allowed two earned runs or fewer in 17 of his 22 starts this season for the Braves.

“No way I’ve ever seen anything this long,” Gonzalez said about the lack of run support.  “He keeps his head up, keeps battling and he knows what he has to do.  Today we had a lead for him, which probably hasn’t happened in a long time.  We had the right people in there, we just couldn’t hold it.”

Braves lineup didn’t look to promising to start the game with superstars Freddie Freeman and Andrelton Simmons both out with injuries…but Atlanta was able to gather nine hits and three runs against the defending World Series champs.

22-year-old shortstop, Daniel Castro had three hits and two runs scored on Tuesday.

The Braves are now 48-59 in 2015 and are slipping further and further away from any playoff opportunities.