Harris continues multihit game streak with epic Players' Weekend bat collection

CLEVELAND -- On Friday, Braves outfielder Michael Harris II got a first look at all of his gear for Players’ Weekend. And there was a lot of it.

The Scooby-Doo cleats. The Tom and Jerry sliding glove. And the bats. So many bats.

As Harris laid all the bats out in front of his locker, he joked that he was going to try to get a hit with all six of the bats across the weekend.

He’s more than halfway there.

After getting hits with his Super Mario and SpongeBob SquarePants bats in Atlanta’s win on Friday, Harris launched a big three-run home run on Saturday with his Curious George-themed bat in the Braves' 10-1 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field.

With the win, the Braves have secured their third straight series win. If they win on Sunday, they’ll pick up their first series sweep since they took down the Mets in a three-game series from June 17-19.

Harris added a sixth-inning double with his blue "Money Mike" bat, which increased his streak of games with more than one hit to eight. It’s the longest such streak in MLB this year and the longest by a Brave since Chris Johnson in 2013.

“I just wanted to get the bats in rotation and use all of them,” Harris said. “Two more to go. Tomorrow we can try again.”

While Harris’ season didn’t start the way he wanted, he’s doing everything in his power to make sure it ends how he wants. Harris is now hitting .386 in 28 games in the second half, with eight home runs and 21 RBIs. After recording 22 extra-base hits in 93 games before the All-Star break, he has 19 since.

“He made some swing adjustments in his setup,” manager Brian Snitker said of Harris. “He needed to, he wasn’t going anywhere [or] doing what he needed to do. I think he was working really hard and they did some good things for him. Sometimes guys are resistant to change, and he did a good job being open to that.”

He was one of four Braves to record a multihit game. Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Nick Allen both recorded three-hit games, and they got things started in the second inning with back-to-back RBI hits.

At some points this season, Alvarez has struggled with feeling "sporadic" in the batter’s box. But after an up-and-down season, Saturday was one of those games where everything seemed to slow down for Atlanta's No. 6 prospect.

“Everything I was doing was rushed,” Alvarez said. “You need days like these when you’re in a rough spot.”

Allen’s two-run double in the second inning traveled 364 feet in the air, marking the second-furthest ball he’s hit this year.

“It was great to hit the ball hard,” Allen said. “I know it’s all going to come around.”

Alvarez and Allen combined to go 6-for-9 with three RBIs and three runs scored from the No. 8 and 9 spots in the lineup.

“That’s what we want to do,” Allen said. “If we do that, we’re doing a good job.”

For the first three years of his career, Allen watched Harris from afar while he was with the Athletics. Now he’s getting a chance to experience the 24-year-old’s exploits firsthand.

“Braves fans have seen his [talent] for way longer than me, but now I’m seeing it every day,” Allen said. “It’s amazing.”

That offensive production backed starter Joey Wentz. It marked the second straight start where Wentz allowed one run across five or more innings.

“He’s throwing really well and taking advantage of the opportunity he’s got,” Snitker said.

Wentz has posted a 2.60 ERA in 34 2/3 innings since the Braves claimed him off waivers on July 11.

“I’ve just been executing my pitches at a better clip and getting into some better counts,” he said. "It’s been great. Just a lot of confidence in what I’m doing right now and what the catchers are doing.”

Like Allen, Wentz has gotten the chance to watch Harris from afar during his baseball journey that brought him to three different franchises prior to joining the Braves. But now he gets to reap the benefits of Harris’ strong (and, in Saturday’s case, colorful) bat and slick fielding.

“He’s someone that can change the game with one swing,” Wentz said. “He’s a complete player.”