Rookie Michael Harris II ripped a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, leading the visiting Atlanta Braves to a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Harris pulled a 1-2 fastball 364 feet to right field. The exit velocity on his 11th homer of the season was 111.2 mph.
Reliever Elieser Hernandez (2-6) allowed the homer, snapping a 2-2 tie. Hernandez has given up 19 homers in just 55 innings this season.
Matt Olson also homered for Atlanta, lofting his 22nd blast of the season.
Kenley Jansen, Atlanta’s sixth pitcher, earned his 25th save in 29 tries as he worked a scoreless ninth.
Miami’s Brian Anderson, who hadn’t played since July 23 due to a left-shoulder injury, went 2-for-3 with a line-drive solo homer that had a 112-mph exit velocity. It was the hardest-hit ball by Anderson this year, and it came on his second swing since leaving the injured list.
Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings went 3-for-4 with two doubles.
Neither starting pitcher earned a decision. Miami’s Pablo Lopez allowed two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings. Atlanta’s Jake Odorizzi allowed two runs, eight hits and one walk in four innings.
Miami opened the scoring with Anderson’s 404-foot leadoff homer to left in the second inning, his fourth of the season. Miguel Rojas kept the rally going with a walk, and he raced to third on Lewin Diaz’s single before scoring on a double play.
Atlanta cut its deficit to 2-1 in the fourth as Olson drove his homer 411 feet to center. He hit a 1-2 fastball that was up in the zone.
Stallings led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, but he was stranded. On the second out of the inning, Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. caught a fly ball and unleashed a strong throw to third, keeping Stallings at second.
Atlanta tied the score in the sixth as Harris II doubled, went to third on Acuna’s groundout and scored on Dansby Swanson’s sacrifice fly. Swanson hit the ball to shallow center field, but Harris’ speed was too much for JJ Bleday’s arm.
The Braves took a 4-2 lead in the eighth as rookie Vaughn Grissom doubled and scored on Harris’ homer.
Miami cut its deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth as Stallings and rookie Peyton Burdick hit consecutive one-out doubles off the outfield wall.
But the Marlins stranded Burdick, and they couldn’t score on Jansen in the ninth.
–Field Level Media
