Phillies lose to Nationals as Bryce Harper’s old team strives while his new team skids

WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper crouched, unstrapped his protective foot shield, ripped off his batting gloves, and listened to the roar of the fans.

A year earlier, they were pleading in Washington for Harper to stay. On Monday night, they were reveling in the struggles of the team Harper left for.

The Phillies struck out six times against Nationals starter Patrick Corbin in a 7-2 loss, but the home crowd did not enjoy any of them as much as Harper’s whiff to end the third inning. He played hero here for seven seasons but quickly became the villain when he left for $330 million and the dreams of riding down Broad Street in a “freakin’ boat.”

It is Harper’s old team that is eyeing October, while his new team tries to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2011.

» READ MORE: Nationals 7, Phillies 2 — box score

“I have zero doubts about our guys pushing hard every single game,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “As long as we are still in this thing, we are going to act like we’re still in it. We’re going to keep fighting.”

The Phillies are seven games behind the Nationals for the National League’s first wild card and 6½ games behind the Brewers for the second one. They are one loss away from being eliminated from playoff contention for the eighth straight year.

The Phillies, Padres, and Marlins are the only three National League teams to not make the playoffs after 2011.

They will have to win three of their final seven games — four of which are against the Nationals — to finish above .500.

Zach Eflin allowed five runs on eight hits, three of which were solo homers, before he was removed after five innings. It could have been worse as Eflin stranded the bases loaded in the third and allowed just one run after loading them in the fifth.

“I thought I did a really bad job of setting the tone of the game and the series,” Eflin said. “I made some good pitches that got hit. I made some bad pitches that got hit. It’s baseball, but it’s pretty frustrating.”

Austin Davis and Edubray Ramos combined to walk four straight batters in the eighth inning. Nothing came easy for the Phillies.

“It’s frustrating,” Eflin said. “Late in the year, trying to make a push. It’s frustrating.”

They played without catcher J.T. Realmuto, who underwent an MRI on his right knee and may miss the final week of the season. Rhys Hoskins went 0-for-4 and is hitless in his last 21 at-bats.

Harper, who had two hits off Corbin, scored in the sixth inning by singling against Corbin and coming home on a Cesar Hernandez groundout. It was the Phillies’ only run until they scored with two outs in the ninth.

Corbin pitched six innings and the Phillies went 0-for-8 against him with runners in scoring position.

“It’s frustrating,” Eflin said, again.

Harper’s first year in Philadelphia will not end with a boat ride, but it’s hard to argue against what he has done this season. He is just the third Phillies player with 30 doubles, 30 homers, and 100 RBIs in their first season with the team and he’s the first Phillies outfielder in 15 years to have 30 homers, 100 RBIs, and 10 steals.

If there were red flags about Harper this offseason, it was his defense and his struggles against lefthanded pitching.

Harper recorded his 13th outfield assist Monday, which equaled the amount he combined for in his last three seasons in Washington. His 14 homers this season against lefthanded pitchers are a career high and he entered his matchup against Corbin with a 1.288 OPS since Aug. 3 against lefthanders.

The Phillies have had their problems this season, but Harper is not one of them. His first season in Philadelphia will end in September, while his old teammates will try to reach October. He is with the Phillies for 13 years, but it must be somewhat discomforting to see your old team strive while your new team flounders.

Playoff baseball is what Harper came to Philadelphia for, but he’ll have to wait. He’ll instead spend the next four days in D.C. listening to his old fans cheer his old team toward the place he wants to be.

“We’ll come out tomorrow, win a couple of games, and you never know what could happen,” Kapler said. “That’s the way we’re thinking about it. We’re still in this.”