Harris II, Acuña's powerful bats lead Braves' 50th win

ATLANTA -- In the Braves’ 2021 World Series campaign, it took them 102 games to reach the 50-win milestone. A year later, it has taken the team just 85. A large part of Atlanta’s success has been the return of All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. and calling up 21-year-old Michael Harris II.

The bats came alive early in the Braves’ 12-2 victory over the Nationals at Truist Park on Friday, securing the club’s 50th win of the season. Atlanta put together four consecutive innings with a run scored to start the game, and the dynamic outfield duo drove in five of the team’s eight runs over that span. Acuña finished the night 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, and Harris went 4-for-4 with an early two-run double, while scoring three runs of his own. He added a two-run homer in the eighth to give him four RBIs.

The tandem had gone into a minor slump over the last 19 games, going a combined 34-for-146 (.233), but concerns over that were quickly erased Friday.

Harris joined the club on May 28 and made his presence felt on defense as he adjusted to the game on offense. But it didn’t take long for the center fielder to get his feet wet. The newcomer had a hit in all but five of his 27 games in June, and he secured his first big league homer in his 16th game on June 13. Harris has gone 28-for-88 (3.18) with seven homers and 18 RBIs since his first blast.

His impact has been significant at the plate, but his play in center field cannot be overshadowed. Harris’ six outs above average are tied for second-highest among center fielders, and his 95% success rate and 88% estimated success rate ties him with Houston’s Jose Siri for the largest success rate added (7%). The team is 28-11 upon Harris’ arrival.

“I don't think it's a mistake that when he showed up we started doing better, because I think that's one of the reasons,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I didn't know what to expect offensively, and it’s been, ‘Wow.’ The whole thing has been pretty special.

“I think it's credit to Michael. I mean, [teams have] video on him and all that, but he's making adjustments himself on the fly. The ball jumps off his bat, that's for sure.”

• Harris II named NL Rookie of the Month in June

Harris has already made a case for earning a Gold Glove as a rookie patrolling center field. He has no errors over 81 chances and 353 1/3 innings played with the Braves. Harris will be 21 years and 212 days old on the last day of the season. If he were to win a Gold Glove, he’d be the 3rd-youngest outfielder to do so, older than only Ken Griffey Jr., who was 20 years and 316 days when he won in 1990, and Andruw Jones, who was 21 years and 158 days when he won in ‘98, per Elias Sports Bureau.

Hours after the rest of the All-Star starters were announced on Friday evening, Acuña put together an All-Star performance. The right fielder didn’t have to worry about his spot in the 2022 Midsummer Classic because, on June 30, Acuña was announced as the leading vote-getter in the National League and earned an automatic starting spot.

The 2022 season marks the comeback tour for Acuña, who missed the first 37 games of the season while recovering from last year's ACL surgery. Once he made his return, his impact was immediate. The team’s record is 42-24 since he rejoined the club on April 28, a month before Harris hit the scene.

While the Braves’ offense was giving Charlie Morton insurance runs galore -- they’ve totaled 58 runs against the Nationals over seven games this season -- the right-hander was churning out another solid performance on the mound. Over his past five outings, he’s tossed four quality starts -- each of them seven innings long with two or fewer runs.

Morton allowed just two runs on a two-run homer by Juan Soto in the third, and he went nearly unscathed for the remainder of his appearance. He gave up four hits and three walks while fanning seven on the way to his fifth win of the season.

“His stuff has been there all the time, it’s just execution and timing,” Snitker said.