Michael Harris II Is Scorching Hot and Washington Has Zero Answer for It

The Atlanta Braves are rolling into Washington this week looking absolutely unstoppable, and the Washington Nationals have to figure out how to stop Michael Harris II before things get worse. The Braves just won five straight and have taken nine of their last 11 games, capped off by a 4-2 victory at Philadelphia on Sunday. The Nationals? They're coming off a 3-0 shutout win against San Francisco, but they're about to walk into a buzzsaw.

Harris Is In Another Universe Right Now

Harris went off against the Phillies on Sunday, smacking a home run and collecting three hits as Atlanta stormed back from down 2-0 to sweep the three-game series. The Braves outscored Philadelphia 16-3 over those three games, which tells you everything about the momentum shift happening right now. Here's the thing about Harris: he's got six hits in his last seven at-bats with two walks, two homers and four runs scored. His average is sitting at .290, and he's got three home runs already this season when batting ninth. "Maybe they pitch me differently in the ninth spot because I've got Ronald Acuna Jr. behind me, but just try to go up there and be myself and get the job done," Harris said after the game. That's the confidence of a guy who knows he's locked in.

Jake Irvin Takes the Mound With Work to Do

The Nationals will send Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16 ERA) to the mound Monday night against Braves righty Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA). Irvin just took an L to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, working five innings and giving up two runs on four hits. He at least settled in after that rough first inning, retiring 13 of his final 16 batters. Historically, Irvin has been decent against Atlanta, sitting at 2-2 with a 3.79 ERA over seven career starts since 2023. Elder, though, is the one you should worry about. He threw a shutout his last time out against Miami on Wednesday with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. He's 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six career starts against Washington since 2022.

Washington Bounced Back, But Can They Keep It Going?

The Nationals salvaged their series with San Francisco on Sunday, combining three pitchers for the shutout. Andrew Alvarez, called up from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the day, pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the win. Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer and Keibert Ruiz had two hits with an RBI and a run. Manager Blake Butera praised his team for learning from Saturday's mistakes, which included a brutal 7-6, 12-inning loss. "Really happy for him," Butera said about Mead. "We had some good conversations today about Saturday's game and some of the mistakes we made, and good to see them learn from them and flush them." Now Washington has to face a Braves team that took the season series 9-4 last year. The heat is on Monday night.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.