Despite success behind Acuña, Harris ready to return to 9-hole
SAN FRANCISCO — The overwhelming majority of Major League hitters would possibly critically take into consideration surrendering a kidney if they might usually bat behind Ronald Acuña Jr. and forward of Austin Riley and Matt Olson, a luxurious that Braves middle fielder Michael Harris II has loved for eight video games with common No. 2 hitter Ozzie Albies on the injured record.
With Albies anticipated to return from his hamstring pressure subsequent week, Harris will return to hitting ninth. He received’t be kicking and screaming both.
“The nine-hole has my heart,” Harris stated after he and starter Spencer Strider co-starred in Atlanta’s 5-1 victory towards the Giants within the opener of a 10-game journey.
Harris hit his thirteenth homer on the sport’s third pitch, off Giants Opening Day starter Logan Webb, singled twice, stole his 18th and nineteenth bases and scored three runs, one after tagging up on a comparatively shallow pop foul that third baseman J.D. Davis caught together with his again to the plate.
Strider dominated the Giants for the second time in eight nights for his fifteenth win, most within the Majors. He prolonged his scoreless streak to twenty innings, on the time the longest lively streak within the National League, earlier than surrendering a run within the seventh. In 14 innings towards San Francisco over his final two begins, Strider allowed 4 hits and one run whereas putting out 19.
Harris batted principally ninth final yr in successful NL Rookie of the Year. He reacted modestly when requested why he’s desperate to return to the underside of the lineup when Albies returns.
“This team is fun and this lineup is pretty dangerous,” he stated. “I feel like I can just hide down there in the nine spot and do my little damage and not be really seen down there because everybody ahead of me is doing phenomenal and has crazy numbers as well. I feel I can hide down there and get some more hittable pitches.”
Harris’ poise whereas hitting in Albies’ spot has impressed Braves supervisor Brian Snitker, saying, “Those are big shoes to fill” and including that Harris will slip into these sneakers earlier than too lengthy.
“He’s not going to be a nine-hole hitter his whole life. That’s for sure,” Snitker stated. “He’s going to be a middle-order bat where you want him driving runs in.”
Harris’ first-inning homer staked Strider to a 1-0 lead. His leadoff single within the fourth and steal of second set the desk for Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna, who drove in runs on successive pitches. Olson doubled into the right-center hole and Ozuna poked a single to proper.
Harris’ third hit, a sixth-inning single, cashed in Acuña’s leadoff triple. Harris stole his second base and superior to 3rd on a Riley groundout earlier than scoring simply on Olson’s pop-foul sacrifice fly.
This was not the primary time Harris has excelled in a Strider begin this yr, a degree the pair mentioned earlier than Friday’s recreation.
“He needs to start giving me some of his pay every five days because something about me pitching is helping him play,” Strider stated.
Strider might need to ahead a few of that dough to Acuña, whose marathon run and leaping catch of a Thairo Estrada drive into the right-center hole within the third inning saved two runs and stored the right-hander’s scoreless streak alive for an additional inning.
“I guess we’ll just put it in a pot and divvy it up at the end of the year,” stated Strider, who handed teammate Charlie Morton (18 innings) for the league’s longest present scoreless streak earlier than it was snapped.
Strider excelled whereas going through the identical Giants workforce he beat per week earlier. Back-to-back begins normally favor opposing hitters — in the event that they’re going through an odd pitcher. Strider is proving to be very unordinary.
“I just think his fastball is special. It’s different,” Snitker stated. “His stuff is just really good. When he’s got his fastball it’s just hard to get a hold on, regardless if you’ve seen it. And the slider is such a dominant pitch. His stuff is so good. That’s the reason.”
