The Atlanta Braves came from behind and took Game 1 of their best-of-three wild card series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Entering Wednesday’s matchup, they have a chance to eliminate Philadelphia and advance to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
It will be a tough task though. The Braves are set to face Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez, one of the toughest left-handed assignments in the league.
Many of Atlanta’s top hitters are left-handed, including Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson and Michael Harris, so offense will likely be hard to come by until the Braves tap into the bullpen early on.
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Manager Walt Weiss responded by adjusting the lineup, moving Harris down to the seventh spot in the order. Harris is better against right-handed pitching but remains a threat against southpaws.
He hits .286 with a .323 on-base percentage, .780 OPS, eight home runs and 26 RBIs across 224 plate appearances.
However, he has historically struggled against Sanchez specifically, posting just two hits in 15 at-bats with 10 strikeouts in his career against the Phillies left-hander.
Before the game, Weiss explained that history is exactly why he made the move. He even mentioned he would have considered giving Harris the day off entirely had outfielder Lane Thomas been available.
Regardless, Harris is hoping the playoffs can unlock something different for him against Sanchez. With a win the Braves advance, and Harris is undoubtedly one of the better hitters in the league and capable of making adjustments.
Batting him seventh does limit how many times he can face Sanchez before the bullpen takes over, which may ultimately work in Atlanta’s favor.
