BOSTON -- Matt Olson’s home run was the most encouraging. But it was Michael Harris II's latest home run that the Braves were still buzzing about after holding on to claim a 7-6 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
“If he can get to it, he can smoke it, and that was a big home run late,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Once Braves closer Raisel Iglesias’ 28 1/3-inning scoreless streak ended with Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s two-run single in the ninth, Harris’ two-run homer in the eighth inning had much more significance. The game-winning home run capped the center fielder’s second four-hit game of the season.
But Harris’ teammates weren’t buzzing about the fact that he’s now hitting .304 with 12 homers and an .865 OPS. They were just praising his ability to hit a 423-foot home run to dead center against a pitch that was just 1.23 ft. off the ground. It should be mentioned that the homer came against a 91.5 mph changeup from Tayron Guerrero, whose three previous pitches had registered between 99.2-100.6 mph.
“You don’t see that very often,” Spencer Strider said. “That’s just the talent he possesses. He’s got one of the best swings in baseball.”
Per Statcast, entering Tuesday, there had been just seven home runs against pitches that registered 1.23 ft. or lower above the plate. The only one of these classified as a straightaway home run was a shot Braves catcher Drake Baldwin hit against the Nationals on April 21. But Baldwin’s homer was hit more to right-center.
Harris’ two-iron was hit to dead center field.
“He's incredibly talented,” Olson said. “He can hit any pitch in any spot, as we saw from that homer today.”
So, what did Harris think when he watched the video of his home run?
“Ozzie [Albies] told me based on where the pitch was, he thought it was a ball,” Harris said. “So, I looked at it and it was indeed a ball. I don't know. I just see ball, hit ball, I didn't really care if it was a strike or not. I was just trying to get a hit.”
Always his own harshest critic, Strider wasn’t happy with his effort on Tuesday night. He surrendered back-to-back homers to Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela to begin his start. But he retired 15 of the next 18 batters faced and gave the Braves a chance to end their two-game skid.
Pitching wasn’t the problem as the Braves suffered just their second series loss this past weekend. They tallied one hit on Saturday and scored just one run over the final 18 innings played against the Nationals.
The offensive futility highlighted the recent struggles of Olson, who released some frustration when he crushed a two-run homer off Ranger Suarez in Tuesday’s fifth. It was the first baseman’s 15th homer of the season and first since May 10. He entered the plate appearance with just two extra-base hits in his past 51 at-bats.
“You go through some ups and downs throughout the course of the year,” Olson said. “Being able to contribute to helping the team win helps build some confidence for sure.”
Olson led the Majors in fWAR earlier this month, but he entered Tuesday hitting .160 (8-for-50) with a .422 OPS over 13 games going back to May 12. Even the game’s best players experience similar slumps during the season. But this skid coincided with Olson grabbing his right elbow and grimacing after swinging and missing a pitch on May 15.
The timing of the skid and the uncomfortable reaction has created some concern. But when asked again on Tuesday night, Olson said the elbow hasn’t had anything to do with his recent slump.
“It was just coincidental,” Olson said. “I was just off-balance with some swings and reaching for balls. If I’d have been on time for the pitch, it wouldn’t have happened.”