With Harris ‘in the zone,’ Braves stay in WC hunt

ATLANTA — Getting hot at just the right time, Michael Harris II came through with another standout performance for the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, leading them to a pivotal 5-1 win against the New York Mets to keep his team’s playoff hopes alive.

Harris went 3-for-4 with a home run, falling a triple shy of the cycle for the Braves, who now trail the Mets by one game in the National League wild-card race with five games remaining.

Harris has multiple hits in five straight games, going 13-for-24 (.542) in that stretch. He also made yet another highlight-reel diving catch in center field Tuesday, robbing Mets rookie Luisangel Acuna of a hit.

Manager Brian Snitker said the play reminded him of former Braves great Andruw Jones.

“I just feel like I’m in the zone right now,” Harris said when asked why he shook his head after the catch. “I didn’t think I could get to it originally.”

Harris added: “It’s kind of like an out-of-body experience.”

Harris wasn’t the only young star who shined for the depleted Braves. Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach went seven innings and held the Mets to one run on three hits and a walk and striking out four.

It was Schwellenbach’s second straight stellar outing against the Mets, following his 11-strikeout performance in seven shutout innings in a 4-0 victory on July 27.

“He reminds me of [Spencer] Strider in his rookie year,” Harris said, referring to the Braves ace who is out for the year following elbow surgery. “How poised going out there in those big games against good teams.”

Tuesday’s game was the opener of a pivotal three-game series with the Mets, who are tied with the Diamondbacks as the final two playoff seeds. Arizona hosts the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.