Michael Harris II and the Atlanta Braves walked out of Truist Field with a 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. They also pulled a game closer to the Phillies in the NL East race thanks to some Harris heroics.
Michael Harris came into the game with 43 career home runs but none of them led off a game. Hello 44. Harris’s Friday night 410-foot shot off of Washington Nationals starter, MacKenzie Gore, came out of the lead off spot in the first inning. You might think Harris was setting the tone for the game, but Gore went on to pitch six innings with four strikeouts and no walks with Harris’s homer being the only run he allowed.
With not much happening after Harris’s homer, we can fast forward to the 10th inning where the Braves and Nationals are tied at 2. In the top of the inning Bro, CJ Abrams, pinch hit for Nasim Nunez, who had gotten the start at Abrams’s usual spot: shortstop. CJ popped out which is inconsequential except that it put him in the field for the bottom of the 10th after sitting in the dugout for nearly three hours.
Deep in the grass for the first batter, CJ made the play on a ground ball as the ghost runner moved to third. After a line out, there was a man on third with two outs and Michael Harris II coming to bat. As expected, he hit it to CJ Abrams who picked it up cleanly and then threw it wide and low to first as he was compensating for Harris’s speed. Safe at first. Run scored. Braves win.
“I gotta make a better throw in that situation,” Abrams said after the game. “Maybe take a little more time. I think I had more time than I thought.”
There was no RBI on the play for Harris, but maybe he should get one. His speed is what caused Abrams to flub the throw. “In that situation, with two outs, you try to put the ball in play and see what happens,” Harris said.
The future for the Washington Nationals is here and they couldn’t be more excited. MLBbro James Wood is set to make his Major League debut on July 1 against the New York Mets.
The 6’7″ power-hitting phenom who draws comparisons to fellow MLBbro Aaron Judge, is bringing with him a much-needed power dynamic to a lineup currently ranked 29th in home runs.
The Nats Number One came over in a blockbuster deal in 2022 with the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto, who is currently starring for the Yankees. That deal also included Nats shortstop CJ Abrams and starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore.
The former 2021 second-round pick has already put on a show for Nationals fans by showcasing his power during spring training when he hit four Bro Bombs.
The Evidence is There, James Wood is Ready for the Show
Since then, he’s been terrorizing the minor leagues for the Red Wings in Triple-A Rochester with a slash line of .346/.458/ .578 in 185 at bats with 64 hits, 34 RBIs, 10 home runs, and 10 stolen bases.
As easy as it is to get caught up on how great Wood can be offensively, there’s immense potential on the defensive side as well.
With size, speed, and agility that can be utilized at any outfield position, Wood established a 1.000 fielding percentage while playing all three positions. Something the Nationals can use since their defense is currently ranked 17th in the Majors.
If there’s one message from the Nats clubhouse about who’s on the way, it’s that Wood is legit. Outfielder Harold Ramirez who had a recent debut of his own on June 24th played seven games with James in Triple A and has seen the potential star power himself. “It’s unbelievable how he plays.” Ramirez said expressing compliments for Wood. “I hear he’s going to be here soon. He’s a very good player.”
Manager Dave Martinez was mum on the call-up ahead of Friday’s game but couldn’t hide his excitement for the possibility of coaching his young phenom. “I cannot confirm nor deny the rumors,” Martinez would say with a smirk. “But I will say this: I’m very excited when he does get here. He’s an outstanding kid and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Known for his amazing defensive prowess at shortstop, Bronx-born Nunez, who played his high school ball in Georgia, made his MLB debut on March 30, 2024.
With the MLB season in its infancy stages, sometimes it’s difficult to find MLBbros providing production in the same situations. While the Washington Nationals have found themselves with some early season struggles falling to 2-4 after a 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday led by three MLBbros, Andrew McCutchen, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Michael A. Taylor…
MLBbro Trio Pushes The Pitt Back To The Top With 5-0 Start | Cutch, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Michael A. Taylor Balling
…they have found a diamond in the rough in Trey Lipscomb aka “The Truth” who has reached base in every game (as of this writing). He got onto the field Nick Senzel broke his thumb.
Lipscomb placed himself directly in the path of MLBbro.com’s radar in his professional debut against the Cincinnati Reds legging out an infield single. MLBbro.com reporter Charles Nyonga was the first to highlight “The Truth” in the Nationals lineup in this week’s “Take That” segment…
Take That | Trey “Da Truth” Lipscomb Starts Rookie Season With A Bang for Washington Nats pic.twitter.com/UsjEC3HAeM
But how surprising is Trey Lipscomb’s early success? To answer that question, the transition from the University of Tennessee to the Majors needs to be looked at in detail .
Trey Lipscomb… An MLBbro InThe College Years!
Lipscomb had a strong career at Tennessee from 2019-22 starting 78 games out of the 103 games he played in. His performances at the plate spearheaded the Vols’ dominance in the SEC Eastern division, collecting the regular season and tournament championships in his final year with the team.
In 66 appearances our MLBbro tallied 89 hits with 22 Bro Bombs (first Tennessee player since 2009 to hit over 20 homers in a season!), 84 RBI, 68 runs, 19 doubles and three triples. Add the 26 walks he collected, it’s evident that this guy found his groove on getting on base early.
He parlayed a career .331 batting average, 24 homers, 103 RBI, 83 runs and 37 walks into being drafted in the 3rd round (84th overall) by the Washington Nationals.
Trey Lipscomb is showing that he is more than a bat… he is “The Truth” in the field with plenty of opportunities to back it up!
Our MLBbro won a Minor League Gold Glove at third base while spending time at every infield position. After a dominating performance at the plate hitting .400 in spring training, Trey was one of the final cuts the team made before being called up almost immediately on March 30th. That Gold Glove experience last year has really helped him in a three game stretch when he completed 15 opportunities at third place cleanly for outs.
Talk about being thrown in the fire at the hot corner…
In baseball, 15 plays in such a short amount of time is uncommon. Who led the National League last year with that amount of chances? Pittsburgh Pirates MLBbro third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. He had multiple situations much like Trey Lipscomb is thriving now. A couple of plays during this stretch illustrates this…
One of his better plays was turning this 5-4-3 double play to stop a potential big inning against the Reds. Notice how easy he makes this play look while on the move…
Check out the range Trey has here snagging a hard hit ball by Santiago Espinal up the line for a potential double. Even though Espinal made it to first base safely, the play by our MLBbro not only saved an extra base hit, but shows the potential of Lipscomb being able to stick to the main roster and contributing!
Plays like these here save runs for a Washington Nationals team that is struggling to score enough runs to win games to start the season. Even through this tough time, our MLBbro can help establish a defensive reputation for the Nats in the meantime.
Our newest MLBbro has done very well for himself in his first five games in the field and batter’s box. His ability to get on base while keeping opponent’s off them is found money for the Washington Nationals. While building an on base streak that has grown to five games, Lipscomb has made the plays that he needed to make with his glove.
While MLBbros such as Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge command the headlines as superstars, Trey Lipscomb is showing the importance of being consistent and steady.
Recent Comments