Despite brutal Phillies loss, Bryce Harper stays hot | Extra Innings
Ace Aaron Nola's struggles continued, as his third start of the season wasn't much better than his first or second.
Just one strike. That’s what separated the Phillies on Tuesday night from their eighth win of the season and a victory that would have tied the franchise mark for the best start in 104 years. Instead, the bullpen collapsed en route to a crushing loss that seemed unimaginable when Aaron Nola was on the mound in the sixth inning with a five-run lead. Once a victory felt near, everything seemed to fall apart.
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— Matt Breen(extrainnings@philly.com)
Harper loves playing the Nats
Remember when Bryce Harper struggled in spring training to find his timing? And when he began the season without a hit on opening day? Maybe, after a long offseason, Harper would need some time to find his groove at the plate. Never mind.
Harper’s home run Tuesday night, against old teammate Stephen Strasburg, was his fourth of the year, and he reached base for the 10th consecutive game. He has the fourth-highest on-base percentage in baseball, the highest walk rate, and the fourth-highest home-run total, including the third-farthest hit this season in all of baseball. Harper has been as good as advertised and been a thorn in his former team’s side.
His homer against Strasburg would have been hard to believe nearly a decade ago when the Nationals drafted Harper first overall a year after selecting Strasburg with the top pick. The two young stars were pegged to be the centerpiece of a franchise finding its way in D.C. But here they were Tuesday night on opposite sides.
Strasburg fooled Harper with a change-up for strike two and tried to get him to miss once more. But Harper sat on the off-speed pitch and crushed it to left field. It was his second homer in four games against the Nationals, and he has gone 6-for-14 with five walks and three extra-base hits against the Nats.
He has as many homers against Washington as he does against 13 other teams. Tuesday night was a tough loss, but it was more evidence that Harper is feeling just fine at the plate.
The rundown
Aaron Nola’s third start of the season was not much better than his two previous unspectacular ones, as the team’s ace has gotten off to a slow start. Nola, Scott Lauber writes, looked like the Nola of old at times Tuesday night, but then he scuffled in the seventh inning. “It’s frustrating,” Nola said.
Tuesday night began like a party, Bob Brookover writes, before it turned into a stinging loss. Harper homered against his old team, and Nola looked strong early. But then everything changed. “It was obviously a tough loss,” manager Gabe Kapler said.
The Phillies were without three of their top relievers Tuesday night because Gabe Kapler tried to find rest for Pat Neshek, Adam Morgan, and David Robertson. The strategy backfired, as the team’s thin bullpen could not close out the Nationals.
Important dates
Tonight: Nick Pivetta faces former Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson in series finale, 7:05 p.m.
Tomorrow: The Phillies enjoy an off-day in Miami.
Friday: Phillies open three-game series vs. the Marlins, 7:10 p.m.
Monday: Phillies return home to play the Mets, 7:05 p.m.
Stat of the day
The Phillies were retired in order Tuesday night in the first inning for the first time this season. At least one Phillies batter had reached base in the first inning of each of the team’s first nine games. But the Phillies saw just five pitches in Tuesday’s first inning against Strasburg. Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and Bryce Harper each grounded out.
From the mailbag
Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.
Question: Players are wearing a small patch on their right sleeves. I cannot get a good enough look on TV to see just what it is. Any chance you can satisfy my curiosity? - Bud S. via email.
Answer: Thanks, Bud. Each team is wearing a small patch on its sleeves this season to celebrate Major League Baseball’s 150th anniversary. The teams also wore the “MLB 150” patch on the sides of their hats for opening day.
Question: My main concern is how the team reacts when the ravioli hits the fan and they lose 5 or so in a row. And Bryce strikes out a bunch. And the fans go rabid. ... This group seems very professional, so I think it will be ok, but … - Jim K., via email.
Answer: Thanks, Jim. It’s a fair concern, as it’s easy right now to talk about how good the clubhouse is when the team is winning so frequently. The real test will come sometime this season when adversity hits. I was thinking about this earlier and thought back to this quote from Jake Arrieta the day after the Phillies signed Bryce Harper. I’ll let Arrieta answer your question.
“If we stay healthy, we’re going to perform. There’s just no way around it,” Arrieta said. “Are we going to have hiccups? Are we going to have lulls in the season? Yes, just like every team does. But the best ones figure out how to shorten that window of struggles. That’s what we’re going to be able to do even better than we have in the past with the experienced talent that we have in here.
"We have some young veterans. We have some guys who are veterans that are a little bit older. We have young guys who have only been around for a couple of years like [Rhys] Hoskins, who you’re just having a conversation with him, he seems like he played this game for 10 years. You have so much great character in this clubhouse.
"We’re led by a tremendous manager and a great coaching staff around him with the support of a tremendous front office who obviously showed that they were willing to do the things necessary to get this team to a championship level. Now, it’s on us to stay healthy and go out there and perform to our capabilities.”