Takeaways From Braves Winning Streak: Futures of Snitker, Kim on Watch

The Atlanta Braves have finally gone on a run this season. With the sweep of the Tigers over the weekend, they have rattled off an eight-game winning streak to take back to home field to finish the season. 

 Let’s look at some takeaways from the winning streak. We’ve seen a different Braves team as of late, and this helps us learn why. 

They Never Stopped Fighting

This team was officially eliminated from the postseason during this winning streak, and it didn’t faze them. The season is all but officially over. It’s easy to just mentally pack it up, but they’re determined to finish strong regardless. 

They want to show that this Braves team can resemble the playoff teams of recent years and leave a nice impression heading into the winter. 

This Only Encourages Snitker to Snitker

Credit where it’s due. He’s held this team together, and they wouldn’t have been able to have this run if he had lost the clubhouse. 

There is an argument that finishing strong would allow manager Brian Snitker to finish on a high note. If anything, he’s only going to feel more like there is unfinished business. 

Now that this team is shown what they’re capable of when everything finally clicks, he’s going to be less inclined to walk away. There is a good chance he’s going to want to see what this team can do over 162 more games and try to get one more run in before he calls it a career. 

Snitker has said that he doesn’t want to leave before he’s fully ready and have regrets. Perhaps a last-dance season could be for him if this run has fired him up. 

Harris Could Still Have a Respectable Finish

For what it’s worth, he drew a couple of walks during the series in Detroit. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that. 

During the eight-game winning streak, Harris has posted a .281 batting average, driving in a run and coming around to score three times. It’s not the blazing run he went on for about six weeks after the All-Star Break, but if he can have a solid finish, it shows he can, at the very least, bounce back quicker. 

Getting back on track for just another week would provide some goodwill for next season. 

Having a Bat at Shortstop Doesn’t Get Old

Ha-Seong Kim belted two home runs during the Tigers series, bringing his total home runs in 18 games with the Braves up to three. He’s had a hit in each of the eight games of this winning streak and seven RBIs for good measure. 

Until his decision on his player option for next season is made, each strong day at the plate is only going to fuel the discussion further. If you’re the Braves, you’re hoping to see this tear last until the end of the season and into the next. 

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