Hard Truth: Pinch Running Michael Harris II Not Why Braves Loss

Nobody wants to hear it, but it needs to be said. This is a truth understood by many, but many more still have to heed this message. The Atlanta Braves were likely done for, even if Michael Harris II was in the game to bat one more time.

Yes, it would have been nice to have had Harris up with the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. It's the idea for many. The intention isn't to disregard that.

With the streak he's been on, he's on an 11-game hitting streak, it's easy to envision another big moment. The hope of a game-tying grand slam felt nixed. It's unfortunate, but some need to quit fooling themselves.

Even if manager Brian Snitker admitted that the decision to put in Eli White didn't work out. He's catching unreasonable heat for the decision.

Stort-term memory can be razor thin some times.

Let's look back at how this game was going and see if the notion that this decision was so costly. For starters, the Braves started down 7-0 after four innings and down 10-1 after six. Even when they plated more runs to make it 10-5, the pitching staff couldn't keep the White Sox bats at bay.

Two more runs came across in the seventh and another in the top of the eighth. The Braves didn't get a scoreless outing from a pitcher until Luke Williams, who is not a pitcher and is in fact a shotstop, threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning.

Spencer Strider allowed seven earned runs, including two home runs and another extra-base hit that drove in runs. Austin Cox couldn't limit the damage and neither could Daysbel Hernández. If these guys just had half-decent nights, nine runs is likely enough, the Braves pull off another comeback to win their sixth straight.

Let's be honest about the exact situation Harris could have been in, too. Again, the idea that he delivers is nice, and the fact that he had hit a home run earlier in the night fuels the thought that there could be another.

Having to already think of a moment that big already shows how lost the game truly was.

There are more scenarios where he delivers again, and the team still would have lost. He could have cleared the bases with a triple, and they're still down 13-12. Most aren't expeting Ozzie Albies to drive him in and tie it.

The camp that's truly furious about this is likely small, but it's a camp that still needs to be reeled back in. Snitker's move isn't the season in a nutshell. Letting a losing streak end because they let one of the worst teams in baseball run up the score early is.

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