Will the Phillies help Bryce Harper with another bet in an inconsistent offense?
Even in a loss to open the second half of the season, the Phillies had a major victory.
The Phillies are a team that goes as Bryce Harper does. Harper may have given a preview of what's in store for the final 65 games.
Having his first multi-home run game since September 14 of last season, Harper finished 3-for-4 and drove in four of the Phillies' five runs in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Angels. The loss was the Phillies' fifth in their last seven games, yet Harper is starting to come alive at the plate.
The two-time National League MVP is hitting .407 with three home runs and five RBI during this stretch, with a .500 on-base percentage and .963 OPS. Harper is hitting .500 with three home runs, five RBI and a 1.944 OPS over his last five games.
"This is the best I felt in the last year," Harper said after Friday's game. "I'm really happy where I am, healthy, strong. I'm just trying to be the best player I can. Keep going out there and being No. 3, doing my job, and being one of the best in the game."
The Phillies missed Harper for nearly a month with a right wrist injury, one that had lingered since the end of last season. The inflammation in Harper's wrist caused significant concern for the Phillies' first baseman, as he believed the inflammation would go away with rest.
While that didn't turn out to be the case, Harper feels significantly better now, and the results are showing at the plate.
"[I'm] just getting treatment and doing what I need to before and after the game," Harper said. "Just wanna keep it rolling in the right direction. I'm not feeling [pain] all right now. Feeling strong, [I] just want to keep that momentum.
"Just gotta get my treatment in, do things the right way."
While Harper is getting back to his typical form, the Phillies' lineup remained inconsistent to start the second half. Kyle Schwarber hit a first-inning home run – fresh off his All-Star Game MVP award – and finished 1-for-3. J.T. Realmuto had two hits, but the 4-through-9 hitters in the lineup went a combined 2-for-22 (Realmuto hit seventh).
One of the Phillies looking to get off to a better start in the second half is Bryson Stott, but he went 0-for-2 before Edmundo Sosa entered the game for him in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter. Since May 1, Stott is hitting .202 with four home runs, 23 RBI, seven stolen bases and a .580 OPS.
"He just gotta be himself, just like everyone else in here," Harper said. "We just gotta be ourselves and rely on all of our talents...He's here for a reason, understanding he's one of the best second basemen in the game. Obviously, it's been tough in the batter's box as of late. He just gotta keep going and believing in himself."
Max Kepler is another regular that could use a strong start to the second half, but he finished 0-for-4 and is hitting .207 on the season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he wanted to see the lineup produce more consistent at-bats and consistent runs, which seemed to be the case when the offense put up four runs in the first three innings.
The Phillies had just one run over the final six innings and finished 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Changes appear to be coming to the lineup over the next two weeks, with the trade deadline fast approaching.
"We gotta keep finding ways to get guys on base," Harper said. "Our timely hitting, we gotta be better. 1-through-9, we got to keep plugging, keep going. Dombo [Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski] is gonna do his job and get what he thinks is best for our team, but we've got the 26 guys in here that need to do the job every day.
"We got to be better."
