TAKEAWAYS: Atlanta takes down San Francisco, 4-0, for their third straight shutout

The Braves have not given up a run since the ninth inning of the series opener against the New York Yankees on Monday

Nobody wants to face the Atlanta Braves right now. 

8-2 in their last ten games, Atlanta has logged five shutouts in that stretch, including their third straight in tonight's 4-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Truist Park to kick off Alumni Weekend. What do we need to know from the contest? 

Spencer Strider did Spencer Strider things

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The Braves righthander used his start against New York to excise whatever demons were plaguing Atlanta’s rotation. On a muggy night in Truist Park, he was in complete control, striking out ten Giants with only two baserunners allowed in seven innings, one by walk and one via 3rd inning Wilmer Flores single.

Strider got eighteen swings and misses, striking out hitters on the fastball (which touched 99.9 mph), the slider, and even getting one on the changeup, for good measure.

Alex Anthopoulos always talks about wanting two aces leading this staff for the postseason, and Spencer Strider can definitely play the part of one (while Max Fried, who starts Sunday’s series finale, has been the other for Atlanta the past few seasons). 

Michael Harris II is HIIM

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The centerfielder, moved up to the #2 spot in the order with the injury to Ozzie Albies, rewarded manager Brian Snitker’s faith in him with a 4-5 night. Money Mike finished a home run short of the cycle, and collected the first three legs of the cycle in his first three at-bats across just first four innings. He notched a run and collected an RBI in the contest, directly contributing to two of Atlanta’s four runs in the victory.

The night brings Harris to a .291 average and a .799 OPS, and his ability to hit lefties (along with Matt Olson in the cleanup spot) prevents opponents from bringing in a lefty reliever to face Ronald Acuña Jr or Austin Riley. 

Atlanta’s bullpen continues to be NAILS

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Three Atlanta relievers combined to close out this one, with Joe Jiménez, AJ Minter, and Raisel Iglesias combining for two scoreless innings with one hit (Jiménez) and three strikeouts. As we wrote Friday morning, Atlanta’s bullpen has the third best ERA in all of baseball and the lowest figure, 3.44 entering tonight, in the National League.

As Atlanta gets closer to the postseason, identifying their last high-leverage guy will be important for the Braves coaching staff. Closer Raisel Iglesias and setup man AJ Minter are locked into their roles, with Joe Jiménez and Pierce Johnson the next candidates for higher-leverage innings. That fifth reliever, possibly Kirby Yates, will be key to October. Identifying that player now also helps, as there’s roster decisions to be made once Dylan Lee and Jesse Chavez are ready to return - September roster expansion only brings you one additional pitcher spot, and activating two arms means someone has to either be DFA’d or get hit with a sudden Injured List stint for “shoulder soreness”. 

What’s next for the Atlanta Braves? 

Atlanta’s back in action tomorrow at 7:10 PM ET in Truist Park, with Yonny Chirinos on the mound against HP Logan Webb. The game broadcast is available locally on Bally Sports Southeast and on MLB.tv outside of Braves Country. The radio call is available in the Atlanta Metro area on 680 The Fan, regionally on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network, and nationally on MLB.tv.

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