Michael Harris II had five hits Sunday afternoon including a home run and Eddie Rosario hit two homers as the Atlanta Braves beat the Colorado Rockies 14-6 and secured the sweep in the process. Overall, the Braves have won six straight games and sixteen out of their last eighteen games.
The Braves scored a whopping 40 runs in the four game series against the Rockies.
“When you get on a streak like this offensively, it kind of feels like it’s contagious,” said Braves manager Brian Sniker. “And guys, it always is. I mean, it just goes the other way too and guys try to do too much. But right now, nobody feels pressured. You know, they just kind of keep that line moving.”
However, Sunday’s game began with an optimistic outlook for Colorado.
Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton didn’t have his best stuff. He hit leadoff man Jurrickson Profar and later gave up a home run to Colorado third baseman Ryan McMahon. In the second inning, Morton gave up three runs and before anyone could get settled in, the Braves were down 5-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, Braves first baseman Matt Olson coaxed a walk out of Colorado starting pitcher Chase Anderson. After a single by designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, left fielder Eddie Rosario blasted a three-run shot and that ignited the Braves offense. Rosario would hit two home runs and tally six RBIs on the afternoon.
Ozzie Albies would hit his seventeenth home run of the season and it would put the Braves in the lead for good.
Meanwhile, the demise of Michael Harris II was greatly exaggerated. We talked about how he missed time with nagging injuries in April and May. While some members of Braves Country got on his case due to his bat, his overall play in the field hadn’t slipped. Now, his bat has warmed up as the calendar turned to June. After hitting .190 in April and .167 in May, Money Mike is now hitting .327 this month with an .890 OPS. Sunday afternoon, Harris II had five hits including a home run. Snitker wasn’t worried about Harris II because time would heal everything.
“He missed a lot of valuable time early in the year,” Snitker explained. “I say when you miss time early and come back, things are starting to hit on all cylinders and it’s tough to catch up. And you know, when we were talking about that, he hadn’t had one hundred at-bats yet. I just think it’s the combination of the at bats and the kid is working his tail off and you know, and I think more of just your regular at bats that he’s getting now. It’s kind of like last year once he got up here and started playing every day and what he could do.”
Money Mike also touched off a home run that traveled 453 feet, the sixteenth homer that traveled that far, which is three away from the record of nineteen in the StatCast era, which was set by the 2021 Colorado Rockies.
Harris II’s father threw out the first pitch to start the day. It is notable because Charlie Culberson’s father, Charles, was scheduled to throw out the first pitch on Father’s Day. But, the younger Culberson was designated for assignment.
As for starting catcher Sean Murphy, he is day to day. He appeared to strain his hamstring in Saturday’s game. Snitker was non-committal when asked if Murphy would go on the injured list.
Meanwhile, after an off day Monday, the Braves will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies and a pivotal weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Phillies currently are third in the National League East and the Reds are a half game out of first in the Central.