Braves win 9th straight behind solo shots, Elder's strong start

CLEVELAND -- As the Braves backed Bryce Elder's latest strong start by adding to their jaw-dropping home run total in their ninth consecutive win -- a 4-2 win over the Guardians on Monday night at Progressive Field, Cleveland manager Terry Francona remembered why he felt so uneasy preparing for this series.

“We had that rain delay yesterday [in Chicago] so I started working on them before so I could make use of that time, but I started getting nauseous,” Francona said. “My goodness. Not even the guys on their lineup but the guys on their bench. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen numbers like that. Maybe I have but golly. Those OPSes are stupid [good].”

There’s also reason to be pretty impressed with Elder's ERA (2.45, which is second-best in the National League) after he kept the Guardians scoreless until Amed Rosario tallied a two-run single with two outs in the seventh. By that time, the powerful Braves lineup had already built some cushion via Marcell Ozuna’s 17th homer and the two homers Michael Harris II contributed out of the lineup’s ninth spot.

“This is the best lineup I’ve seen, maybe ever,” Elder said. “I was a Rangers fan growing up and I watched that 2011 Rangers lineup. That was probably the best lineup I’ve ever seen until maybe this one. So, to be able to do what these guys do everyday, it’s a lot of fun.”

The Braves have had plenty of fun as they have won nine straight games and 24 of their past 27. They have benefited from widespread production as they have produced MLB’s best lineup and gained a nine-game lead over the second place Marlins in the NL East.

But the most valuable catalyst has been Ronald Acuña Jr., who created history when he stole second base in the third inning of this series opener. Acuña became the first player in MLB history to hit 20-plus homers, tally 40-plus steals and drive in 50-plus runs in a team’s first 84 games.

His incredible production sits at the top of the lineup and Harris’ surge over the past month has allowed him to perform like another leadoff hitter in that ninth spot. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year got off to a slow, injury-plagued start this year. He had a .490 OPS over the 38 games he played through June 6.

But over the 24 games that have followed, he ranks first in the Majors with a .416 batting average and second with a 1.166 OPS, trailing only Shohei Ohtani's 1.444 OPS.

That kind of production is sitting at the bottom of a Braves lineup that leads the Majors with 161 homers, a total that is 30 more than any other club has hit this year.

“It’s fun to go out there,” Harris said. “I’m batting last so I get to go out there and see all these guys hit in front of me. The other day, I didn’t even get to face [Marlins phenom starting pitcher Eury Perez]. It’s kind of crazy. We go up there and hit four or five home runs before I even get to the plate.”

Harris did experience something unique during this two-homer performance. As he started his first home run trot of the night, a Progressive Field employer erroneously set off the fireworks reserved for when a Guardian homers. The mistake led the hometown fans to boo.

“I was confused, at first, why everybody started booing so loudly,” Harris said. “I thought it was towards me. But I remembered when I crossed the plate, the fireworks went off. Then, I got in the dugout and they were talking about the fireworks. It kind of threw me off.”