Bryce Harper, Walker Buehler lead Phillies’ 8-2 thumping of Royals; magic number down to three to clinch NL East

Walker Buehler gave the Phillies exactly what they wanted Friday night, notably five solid innings and a fifth day of rest for each of their other starting pitchers.

But Bryce Harper supplied more of what they need.

Harper slugged a two-run home run in the third inning to break a tie in an 8-2 thumping of the Royals — and, oh yeah, continue the Phillies’ perfect week with their fifth consecutive victory, all without injured shortstop Trea Turner and third baseman Alec Bohm.

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Let’s pause for some mind-bending math. Five days ago, the Phillies’ magic number to defend the National League East crown was 13. Their latest win, coupled with another Mets loss, chiseled it down to ... three!

And now, improbably, the Phillies can wrap up the division — and break out the ski goggles for a sudsy celebration — as soon as Sunday — just as the Eagles kick off in Kansas City.

“Any time you’re able to clinch at home, it’s huge,” Harper said. “Especially in front of our fans. Best fans in baseball, man. They’ve been here all year for us. Obviously we play great at home. It’d be great to go do it here.”

This is what happens when you go on a two-week tear that coincides with a meltdown from your chief rival. Really, though, it goes back further, to the trade deadline. Since Aug. 1, the Phillies are 27-13, the best record in baseball; the Mets are 14-25, the third-worst.

Which leads us back to Harper. Because as much as the Phillies are rolling across these six weeks, the Face of the Franchise has been, well, OK. Entering Friday night, these were Harper’s numbers since Aug. 1:

Good, right? But not quite Harper-ish.

So, as Harper unloaded on a sinker from Royals starter Michael Lorenzen and drove it deep the opposite way to left field — in the same neighborhood of the bleachers where his pennant-clinching homer touched down in 2022 — it was easy to imagine an October in which “The Showman” shows up.

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“That’s kind of his sweet spot,” manager Rob Thomson said. “You know his timing and his swing is in good shape if he’s hitting balls like that to left-center field.”

Harper also worked a walk in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth. But he wasn’t satisfied overall, especially in the eighth inning. He got a juicy first-pitch fastball from Royals reliever Luinder Avila and rolled it over to shortstop, then smashed his helmet at first base.

“I’m really upset about the last at-bat,” Harper said. “Can’t miss pitches over the plate. Just got to keep swinging, keep taking good at-bats, getting the pitches over the plate that I can handle and take the ones that I can’t.”

There was plenty of run support for Buehler, making his first start since signing a minor league contract on Aug. 31. Every Phillies starter had at least one hit save Edmundo Sosa, who left in the seventh inning with right groin tightness.

Sosa is filling in for Turner, who is out with a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring. Thomson said Sosa’s exit was “precautionary for now.” If Sosa needs a few days off, second baseman Bryson Stott, who homered in the seventh inning, would move to shortstop, with Weston Wilson or Donovan Walton at second base.

Nothing has slowed the Phillies this month.

“Guys have been stepping up, a next-man-up mentality kind of thing,” Harper said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have a lot of confidence in their ability. The lower half of our lineup’s been great for us. Our starting pitching has been lights-out. Pitching wins championships, man.”

It’s part of the reason why the Phillies signed Buehler.

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Released by the Red Sox with a 5.45 ERA, Buehler is a low-cost flier to make three starts in a six-man rotation and give Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and Jesús Luzardo extra rest — and the Phillies a chance to keep winning.

So far, so good.

Buehler put a runner on base in every inning other than the third. But he threw strikes, an issue that plagued him in Boston, and gave the offense a chance to build the lead.

“The delivery is the big thing,” Buehler said. “All the [pitch] shapes and command comes out of the delivery. And then, just fastball strike percentage was pretty good for me. It’s a lot easier to get swing and miss when you throw stuff off the heater. If I can get my arm to the slot and move the way I want, kind of baseball mumbo-jumbo, the feels of everything comes back and makes sense to my hand and my brain.

“It’s a cool thing that a team like this wanted me to be a part of it. Hopefully, I can contribute in some way. I think today was a good first step.”

Buehler would line up to start next Friday night in Arizona and again on Sept. 26 at home against the Twins. Could he work his way into the playoff rotation?

“Well, I mean, we’ve got four guys doing pretty good right now,” Thomson said. “So, he’s got to dominate, pretty much.”

Buehler made a good, if not dominant, first impression.

Just imagine if Harper keeps looking like himself.