Why Bryce Harper made manager 'a little nervous’ as Phillies deal with a bigger problem
PHILADELPHIA − Bryce Harper's swinging bunt up the first base line Friday night traveled about 350 feet less than his dramatic home run in Game 5 of the NLCS last October that sent the Phillies to the World Series.
It was appreciated all the same by the sold-out crowd of 43,322 at Citizens Bank Park, especially when Harper came charging around third base as Nick Castellanos followed with a double into the left-field corner.
Harper was just 163 days removed from elbow surgery, and Phillies manager Rob Thomson found himself holding his breath when he realized that Harper would have to slide at home plate in order to score.
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"A little nervous," Thomson said. "I want to make sure he gets through that unscathed, and thankfully he did."
Sure, the Phillies want to be cautious with Harper, their $330 million man, but there was no way Phillies third base coach Dusty Wathan was giving Harper the stop sign because there was no way Harper was stopping.
Harper at least had the wherewithal to slide so that his non-surgically repaired arm touched home plate while his braced right elbow stayed tucked close to his body.
"Every time you’re in those situations − a ball in the gap, a ball down the line − I always want to score for my guys," Harper said. "So I was going to bust it no matter what. ... I had no hesitation in that moment."
But here's the problem facing the Phillies following their 5-3 loss to the Red Sox, their fifth straight loss and third straight with Harper back in the lineup: Harper can't do it himself.
The two hitters in front of Harper – Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner – were a combined 1-for-10 Friday.
Schwarber was put back into the leadoff spot when Harper returned Tuesday, and he's hitting .183 this season. He struck out three times Friday, including in the ninth inning with two runners on base as he represented the potential winning run. Turner then struck out to end the game as Harper stood in the on-deck circle, bat on his shoulder.
Why is Schwarber batting leadoff?
"He gets on base and hits home runs," Thomson said. "When he walks to the plate, as the first guy, leading off the game, it opens (the pitcher’s) eyes up. And he’s comfortable there. That’s where he’s had the most production in his career. That was the game plan last year, and it worked out pretty well.
"So we’re going to go with it for a while. And if he’s struggling, or it’s not working, then we’ll switch it."
Schwarber hit 46 homers last season, 38 of them coming from the leadoff spot. He walked 86 times last season. So even though Schwarber hit only .218 last season, his on-base percentage was .323. That's acceptable for a leadoff hitter.
This season, Schwarber's on-base percentage is .291, and he's clearly struggling. Schwarber also strikes out a lot. He struck out 200 times last season, and 41 times already this season, putting him on a similar pace.
Sure, Thomson could go with Turner at the leadoff spot, which he did earlier in the season. But Turner is struggling too, hitting just .257 with an on-base percentage of .297.
Thomson could also go back to Bryson Stott, who was hitting leadoff up until Harper returned. Stott didn't start Friday against Red Sox lefty Chris Sale, but he did pinch hit in the ninth and struck out. Stott is hitting .301 with an on-base percentage of .329.
Thomson said he likes Stott hitting lower in the order because he makes contact. So if Stott comes up with runners in base, chances are he'll put the ball in play.
Schwarber needs to do that, too. He didn't on Friday. And his problems started with the first batter of the game, when the Red Sox's Raimel Tapia hit a fly ball in between Schwarber in left field and Dalton Guthrie in center. Schwarber, sensing that he might collide with Guthrie, pulled up at the last second, and the ball hit off his glove for a two-base error.
Tapia eventually scored.
"I feel like if I catch the ball, it’s a different ballgame," he said.
As for his hitting, Schwarber said: "I’m going to keep working. Just gotta keep going every single day, and keep working in the cage."
That brings us back to Harper.
It was supposed to be his night, a chance to bask in the adulation from the home crowd for the first time this season.
The Phillies asked MLB for permission to pause the clock so Harper could take in a standing ovation in his first at-bat. The ovation lasted about 30 seconds with chants of "MVP! MVP!" ringing through the ballpark.
Harper knew what that moment meant, both to him and the fans.
"(Phillies general manager) Sam Fuld told me you better enjoy it because that’ll be the only time in your next 10 years that they’ll give you time," Harper said about the untimed at-bat.
"It was a real cool moment," he said.
That is, until he struck out. But Harper did show just how lethal he is after the Phillies had fallen behind 3-0. Harper led off the fourth inning with his infield hit, then barreled his way around the bases on Castellanos' double. J.T. Realmuto followed with a triple and Alec Bohm singled him in.
Just like that, it was 3-3 with nobody out and Bohm on second base.
But Bohm was stranded. Then starting pitcher Zack Wheeler gave up two more runs in the sixth, and the Phillies were finished.
At some point, this will turn, both with Harper getting his timing back and Schwarber getting his stroke back.
But neither Harper nor Schwarber is there yet.
"I think just as a whole, just as a team, we have tremendous amount of talent in here," Harper said. "We have a lot of All-Star talent in here as well. As long as I can provide us with a good game in that 3-hole here every once in a while, that’s the goal.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why Bryce Harper left Phillies 'nervous' as Kyle Schwarber struggles
