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May 26, 2023

Atlanta Braves: Michael Harris' big game helps Braves get fourth straight win

The Atlanta Braves got a huge game from Michael Harris II, a key two-run homer

The Atlanta Braves got a huge game from Michael Harris II, a key two-run homer from Sean Murphy to keep them in the game, and Ronald Acuna Jr's usual excellence as they took down the Mets for their fourth straight win.

Charlie Morton's evening got off to a rough start as his command was a bit haphazard. After a long battle with Brandon Nimmo to start the game that ended with a walk, he hit Pete Alonso with a pitch (which forced him from the game) and then a soft flare drove in a run. Then, in the second, Charlie would give up a solo homer to Francisco Alvarez and the Braves found themselves in a 2-0 hole and with Morton racking up a bunch of pitches.

Falling into that early deficit proved to be problematic because the Braves' lineup had a really tough time against Max Scherzer. Through the first three innings, Atlanta had just a pair of singles and zero walks off of Max and he had seven strikeouts which is not ideal. The Braves would load the bases with two out with singles from Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Marcell Ozuna in the fourth and Orlando Arcia got an infield single to push in a run before Michael Harris II struck out to end the inning.

Charlie's night came to an end in the fifth inning when he gave up a two-run homer to Tommy Pham. With the Braves now down 4-1, the hope was that the previous inning were signs that Scherzer was becoming vulnerable. That turned out to be true because after Austin Riley singled with two out in the fifth, Sean Murphy hit a line drive homer to left to get the Braves back within a run again.

GOOD GRIEF SEAN MURPHY 😳Add it to the Best Catcher In Baseball resume. pic.twitter.com/awKN0v58io

The sixth inning would see the Braves finally get even with the Mets as back to back two-out doubles from Orlando Arcia and Michael Harris II tied the game at 4. Ronald Acuna Jr. would then step into the box and after his previous plate appearances in the game against Max hadn't gone well, he would finally break through with a RBI single to give the Braves a 5-4 lead.

Sadly, Kirby Yates put himself in a real situation in the top of the seventh as the bases were loaded with one out after a pair of walks and a single. Out #2 ended up scoring a run, but it could have been a lot worse if Ronald Acuna Jr. hadn't made a spectacular catch against the wall. With the game now tied, Yates got a groundout to end the inning and the offense had some more work to do.

It was Michael Harris II to the rescue yet again in the bottom of the eighth inning. Marcell Ozuna doubled with one out and after the Braves subbed in Sam Hilliard to pinch run for him, Money Mike made Hilliard's trot home a leisurely one as he hit his third home run of the season to give the Braves a 7-5 lead.

Sometimes, the story writes itself. Michael Harris II, who has struggled, just crushed a go-ahead, two-run home run off Adam Ottavino. And it comes two innings after he doubled to tie it. Braves up, 7-5 pic.twitter.com/AVm1gEn879

With Raisel Iglesias having closed last night's game and thrown three of the Braves' past four games, Snit decided to let AJ Minter have the ninth in this one. Fortunately, he was able to handle the Mets easily and a clean ninth gave Atlanta another series win.