Harris' health following HBP is silver lining of rocky series finale

ATLANTA -- A quiet offensive performance combined with an ugly seventh inning doomed the Braves in a 5-1 loss to the Nationals on Sunday at Truist Park. But it turned out this productive homestand didn’t end on a sour note.

Nearly two hours after the defeat, the Braves announced that Michael Harris II didn’t suffer a fracture after getting hit in the left hand by a pitch. This was a rare positive health development for a team that has dealt with more than its share of significant injuries.

“It’s kind of like a boxing match,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said. “You land a couple punches and then they land one on you. You’ve got to find a way to shake it off and start throwing punches again.”

Olson made this comment before he knew Harris’ imaging results. It was hard for any of the Braves to expect anything but the worst. Harris’ exit came exactly one week after Austin Riley’s right hand was fractured by a pitch in Anaheim. Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr. (ACL surgery), Spencer Strider (elbow surgery) and A.J. Minter (hip surgery) will all miss the remainder of the season.

Harris was hit by Nationals starter DJ Herz’s 93.2 mph fastball to begin the bottom of the first inning. He remained in the game through the fourth, but was pulled when Snitker noticed him favoring the hand while attempting to play catch between innings. The Braves' center fielder did take three swings while striking out in the second inning.

“The fact that [Harris] came out of the game [was] concerning for me,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Maybe this Harris development was actually a sign that things are turning for the Braves, who went 4-2 against the Phillies and Nationals during this homestand. Travis d’Arnaud was hit in the hand by a pitch on Aug. 17 and returned to action one week later. Marcell Ozuna fouled a pitch off his left shin on Sunday and said he expects to play in Monday’s series opener in Minnesota.

Harris’ exit further depleted an injury-riddled lineup that produced just three hits in this series finale. Reynaldo López allowed one run over six innings and Olson tied the game with a solo homer in the sixth. But Luke Jackson’s long-term future with the Braves then became more cloudy.

With the game tied at one entering the seventh, Snitker chose to give the ball to Jackson instead of Jesse Chavez, who hadn’t pitched since Aug. 15. The skipper was asked if there was anything to Chavez going 10 days between appearances.

“We’ve been going to our leverage guys,” Snitker said. “He hasn’t been hurt or anything like that. It’s just that we’ve been winning games and going to the guys that we go to.”

Going to Jackson in any leverage situation seems questionable. He has a 5.93 ERA through 44 appearances this year and an 8.00 ERA over the eight appearances he’s made since being acquired from the Giants on July 29.

Whit Merrifield didn’t help when he committed an error to begin the seventh. But Jackson allowed hits to two of the next three batters he faced in Washington’s decisive three-run frame. He surrendered one of those runs via a wild pitch.

“[Jackson] closed games for us years ago,” Snitker said. “You’ve just got to stay with him. It’s probably just location.”

Jackson’s days as a high-leverage option may have ended when he needed Tommy John surgery after helping the Braves win the 2021 World Series. The Braves can turn to Daysbel Hernández or a couple other Triple-A Gwinnett pitchers if they want to strengthen their bullpen depth down the stretch.

Even with the disappointing conclusion, the Braves can look back on this homestand favorably. They were delivered a big blow on Monday, when they learned Riley’s hand was fractured. But they then claimed series wins over both the Phillies and Nationals.

They have been a resilient bunch all year. But had Harris received bad news, there would have been reason to wonder how much more this team could take.

“As a team, we just continue to battle,” López said. “We just continue to fight every day and that’s what is important.”