Harris Gives Atlanta the Extra Run Los Angeles Cannot Match

Michael Harris II scored Atlanta's go-ahead run on a wild pitch, then drove in the insurance run himself. Those fifth- and seventh-inning contributions gave the Braves enough separation to survive Max Muncy's ninth-inning homer and win NLDS Game 2 by 3–2 on October 4.

The victory leveled the best-of-five series at one game apiece. Atlanta had lost the opener after allowing three Dodgers home runs. In Game 2, the Braves won without homering, using an RBI single, a pitching mistake and Harris' double to generate their three runs.

Harris finished with three of Atlanta's six hits, including the double, and contributed a run and an RBI. Los Angeles also had six hits, but its scoring came entirely through solo home runs by Freddie Freeman and Muncy. The difference was the additional Atlanta run created between its two RBI hits.

The Braves drew eight walks, five against Dodgers starter Blake Snell. Those free passes did not become a large offensive total, but they repeatedly added runners without requiring Atlanta to produce more hits. Snell threw 90 pitches in 3⅔ innings, making the Dodgers cover more than five innings through their bullpen.

A first-inning run

Mauricio Dubón singled in Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first, giving Atlanta a 1–0 lead. Matt Olson advanced to third and Albies to second on the play, leaving the Braves with further runners in scoring position. They did not score again in the inning, keeping Los Angeles within a single successful swing.

Snell allowed one run on three hits and five walks, with five strikeouts. The run total alone suggests he restricted the damage, but the walks and pitch count required an early change. Los Angeles needed several relievers to manage the remaining innings of a game that stayed close throughout.

Atlanta began with Ray Kerr, who worked 2⅔ scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Grant Holmes followed with two-thirds of an inning and was charged with one run. The Braves also used Dylan Lee, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias.

The pitching sequence did not depend on a single starter taking the game deep. It depended on several arms keeping the Dodgers from combining their hits into a multi-run inning. Los Angeles scored twice, but neither run came with another runner aboard.

Freeman ties it, Harris changes it

Freeman homered to right in the fourth, bringing the score to 1–1. He finished with two hits, supplying the Dodgers' only multiple-hit performance. His homer removed Atlanta's opening advantage and reset the next scoring opportunity as a chance to take the lead.

That opportunity went to the Braves in the fifth. Harris scored on Kris Bubic's wild pitch during Dubón's plate appearance. Dubón ultimately walked, but the run belonged to the pitching mistake rather than an RBI attached to the walk.

The distinction is central to the result. Atlanta did not need a seventh hit to move ahead. It converted a runner already on base through a wild pitch, collecting the run that ultimately separated its three-run total from Los Angeles' two solo home runs.

Harris then doubled to right in the seventh, scoring Olson and making it 3–1. The added run increased what the Dodgers needed to recover. Muncy's later home run could reduce the gap, but it could not tie the game because Harris had already supplied the insurance.

Harris' complete contribution

Harris went 3 for 5 with a double, a run and an RBI. His involvement in both late Atlanta scoring plays gave the Braves the most consistent offensive line of the game. Olson had a hit, a walk and the run on Harris' double. Dubón finished with a hit, a walk and the opening RBI.

The eight team walks did not mean Atlanta converted every opportunity efficiently. Six hits and eight walks produced only three runs. The Braves won because those three arrived at the correct points and their pitching prevented Los Angeles from matching them, not because they scored at every chance.

Fuentes supplied 3⅔ innings of one-run relief, allowing one hit without a walk. Suarez worked a scoreless inning, and Iglesias obtained the final out. The Braves' pitching staff struck out nine Dodgers while allowing three walks.

Los Angeles used seven pitchers. Bubic and Edgardo Henriquez were each charged with a run after Snell. The final Muncy homer made the game a one-run contest, but Atlanta still obtained the remaining outs without another scoring play.

The series is level

The win gave Atlanta a road split and removed Los Angeles' opening advantage. It did not decide the series, but it changed the remaining requirement: each team still needed two wins to advance.

Atlanta's result came through a form of offense distinct from the Dodgers' power. Harris supplied repeated contact and involvement on the bases, a wild pitch created the lead, and his double made the last Los Angeles homer insufficient. The Braves did enough scoring to support a pitching staff that never allowed the Dodgers a multi-run inning.