Atlanta lost 9-5 to Washington on Tuesday and saw its division lead shrink to three games ahead of a four-game set in Philadelphia.
Michael Harris II homered to left center off Clayton Beeter in the eighth inning on Tuesday night at Nationals Park, scoring Matt Olson ahead of him and pulling the Atlanta Braves within three runs.
It was his second homer in as many games and the one real bright spot in a 9-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.
The loss was Atlanta's second in a row after a seven-game winning streak, and the timing is rough.
The Braves are still 82-57 and still in first place in the National League East, but the Philadelphia Phillies have won six straight and now sit just three games back, with the two teams set to meet for four games starting Friday.
Smith-Shawver Struggles Again
AJ Smith-Shawver started for Atlanta and lasted four innings, giving up five runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
The damage came early, as CJ Abrams singled home two runs in the second and Brady House added a two-run double later in the inning to put Washington up 4-1, and Yohandy Morales led off the third with a home run in his big league debut.
Smith-Shawver now has a 7.13 ERA in four starts since coming back from Tommy John surgery, and he said after the game that his stuff needs to be better and that his outings have not been competitive enough.
Walt Weiss would not get into where Smith-Shawver fits in October, saying the rotation is day-to-day with six starters and Reynaldo López working his way back.
Fair enough, since the playoff rotation is already crowded behind Chris Sale, and right now Smith-Shawver is at the back of that line.
Harris Is Doing His Part
Harris has been one of the steadiest bats on the team, and the two-run shot pushed him to 24 home runs and 80 RBI with a .296 average on the season.
He also summed up the season well after the game.
"As long as we win games, we control our destiny," Harris said. "Obviously, the team that is right behind us, we play them next."
Atlanta does not need help from anyone, which is good, because the schedule is not about to offer any.
The Phillies Series Is Coming Fast
The Braves play the Nationals again on Wednesday afternoon with Grant Holmes on the mound, then get Thursday off before opening the four-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Friday.
Ever since the winning streak ended Monday, that weekend has hung over everything this team does.
A three-game lead with 23 games left is a good spot to be in, and Atlanta earned it with a 7-3 run over its last 10 games.
But the Phillies are the hottest team in the division, and four games in their park could wipe that cushion out or nearly lock up the East in one weekend.
With Spencer Strider seeming unlikely to pitch again this year, the pressure falls on the arms Weiss already has.
The bats showed up late on Tuesday, and Harris keeps showing up every night, so what the Braves need this week is starting pitching that matches it, because the division is theirs if they can get that far.
