Michael Harris hits grand slam in 1st at-bat in injury return, Braves rout Giants 13-2

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Michael Harris hit a grand slam in his first at-bat after missing nearly two months because of a hamstring injury, helping the Atlanta Braves rout the San Francisco Giants 13-2 on Wednesday night.

Activated from the injured list before the game, Harris crushed an 0-1 curveball from Robbie Ray (2-2) into McCovey Cove for his first career grand slam and Atlanta’s fourth of the season. It was the first grand slam hit into McCovey Cove by an opposing player in the 24-year history of Oracle Park.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Harris said. “It’s crazy because I told myself before the game, I think I’ve seen somebody hit a grand slam and I told myself I’d never hit one. Went up there and did it first AB back. Pretty cool.”

Grant Holmes (1-0) had six strikeouts in seven innings in his first career victory. The 28-year-old rookie allowed eight hits and two runs. Former Giants pitcher Luke Jackson and Jimmy Herget retired three batters each to finish the game.

Matt Olson, Austin Riley and Sean Murphy also homered for Atlanta in the Braves’ third consecutive victory over the Giants.

San Francisco used outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to pitch the ninth inning. Yastrzemski threw 29 pitches and allowed two runs, two hits and three walks.

Tyler Fitzgerald hit his 14th home run of the season and 16th of his career for the Giants. Fitzgerald and late Hall of Famer Willie Mays are the only players in franchise history to hit at least 16 home runs in their first 60 career games. Mays had 17.

Olson hit his 21st home run off Sean Hjelle in the third. Riley connected off Erik Miller in the fifth.

Jarred Kelenic added a two-run double for Atlanta in the sixth, and Murphy hit a two-run home run in the eighth.

That was enough support for Holmes, who had never pitched beyond five innings in any of his previous three starts.

“I was thinking tonight the last time I threw seven innings was 2017 (in the minors),” Holmes said. “So it was pretty cool to do that in the big leagues.”

The Giants have lost four straight. They continued to struggle offensively and stranded eight runners, leaving the bases loaded in the third.

Ray ran into trouble right away when he hit the first two batters with pitches. After Marcel Ozuna struck out looking, Ray walked Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia to force one run in. Following a mound visit by the Giants, Harris pushed the lead to 5-0 with his sixth home run of the season.

“That’s a way to make your entrance,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just good to have him in there. He’s one of our guys and we’ve missed him. So it’s good to get him back out there and running around.”

Ray lasted only 2/3 of an inning, matching the shortest start of his career.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Braves: Jorge Soler left the game with a tight left hamstring and is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday. … Harris had missed 52 games with a strained left hamstring. To make room, Atlanta optioned OF Eli White to Triple-A Gwinnett … Snitker said that RHP Reynaldo Lopez (right arm inflammation) will likely be activated early next week.

Giants: IF Marco Luciano was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. OF Grant McCray was called up. … RHP Tristan Beck (vascular arm surgery) pitched three innings and threw 48 pitches in a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento.

UP NEXT

Giants RHP Logan Webb (10-8, 3.32 ERA) was set to face LHP Max Fried (7-6, 3.56) in the series finale Thursday.

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San Francisco Giants' Tyler Fitzgerald celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Austin Riley, right, runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against San Francisco Giants pitcher Erik Miller, foreground, during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Jarred Kelenic watches his two-run double against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II, center right, celebrates with Orlando Arcia (11) after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Jorge Soler, right, celebrates with Michael Harris II (23) after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II, right, celebrates with third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II runs the bases after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II throws his bat after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II watches his grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II, right, celebrates with third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris II hits a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Russia’s Federal Security Service on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said a decision has been made to withdraw their accreditation.

Russian state TV quoted an official from the security service known as the FSB as saying that they will be expelled. The expulsions come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks with President Joe Biden that will include Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia.

Starmer said on his way to the U.S. that Britain does not “seek any conflict with Russia.” “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,” he told reporters.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defense — we’re providing training capability, as you know. But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia — that’s not our intention in the slightest,” he said.

The FSB said it received documents indicating that the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K. Foreign Office “whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,” and that they were involved in “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities.”

Based on these documents and “in response to numerous unfriendly steps by London,” the Russian Foreign Ministry withdrew the accreditation of the diplomats, the FSB said, without identifying them. It warned that if other diplomats are found to be carrying out “similar actions,” the agency “will demand early termination of their missions” to Russia.

Russian state TV said in a report that the six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups that have been declared “foreign agents” — a label the Russian authorities have actively used against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin.

The British Embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from Britain's Foreign Office.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in an online statement that “We fully agree with the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB. The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna Conventions." She said the diplomats were carrying out “subversive actions aimed at causing harm to our people.”

Expulsions of diplomats — both Western diplomats working in Russia and Russian diplomats working in Western countries — have become increasingly common since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian news outlet RBC counted last year that Western countries and Japan expelled a total 670 Russian diplomats between the beginning of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow expelled 346 diplomats in response. According to RBC, it was more than in the previous 20 years combined.

In May the U.K. expelled Russia’s defense attaché in London, alleging he was an undeclared intelligence officer, and closed several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it said were being used for spying.

FILE - The British Embassy building, center, with the Russian Foreign Ministry building, second right, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

FILE - Birds fly with the British Embassy building at center in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)