The Braves on Friday received an addition to the lineup: Jorge Soler. He pinch-hit twice, but had not started since Aug. 14 in San Francisco as he dealt with a mild strain of his left hamstring.
Soler had been batting leadoff prior to the injury, but Braves manager Brian Snitker put him in the two-hole, behind leadoff man Michael Harris II, for Friday’s game against the Nationals.
“Yeah, and I just kind of like the fit of that, I think – to keep (Harris) up at the top of the order,” Snitker said. “It’s just, when that thing rolls around, to have all those guys up there, I kind of like that. Get those big guys up there as much as we can – because we’re still struggling to score.”
Good call by Snitker: In the bottom of the first, Harris blasted the first leadoff homer of his career. It began what became a 3-2 win over the Nationals.
The top four in the batting order: Harris, Soler, Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson.
At this point, they are probably the four best hitters on the team. And by putting Soler and Harris both at the top, Snitker’s lineup features a potent first half of the lineup.
Harris has been batting leadoff for Atlanta since Soler left a game in San Francisco after straining his hamstring.
“When Michael came back, I didn’t know where he was gonna be,” Snitker said. “I really liked his at-bats early and they’ve been good.”
So Snitker kept Harris in the leadoff spot, and slotted in Soler right behind him.
“It helps our lineup if he can lead off, quite honestly,” Snitker said after Friday’s win.
Raise Iglesias’ dominance
On Friday, Raisel Iglesias’ insane streak ended.
Before hitting a batter to lead off the top of the 10th inning, he had retired 38 batters in a row, dating to July 27. It was the longest such run by a Braves pitcher in the expansion era (since 1961), according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The last MLB pitcher with a streak like this: Yusmeiro Petit, who retired 46 straight hitters in 2014.
“I have a lot of confidence in Iggy,” Snitker said after Thursday’s win over Philadelphia. “He’s been very efficient and throwing really good. His stuff is kind of playing up, too.”
Travis d’Arnaud update
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud (right hand/wrist) on Friday threw the ball. He’s still not fully healed.
“It’s getting better,” Snitker said. “It’s not where he wants it to be as far as torquing the ball. It is what it is.”
The Braves will run d’Arnaud through similar tests on Saturday as they evaluate when he can return to the lineup.
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