A tough extra-innings loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday should not overshadow a clear truth: the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to put s**t together.
Philly took two of three against Arizona (not long after the D-backs took two of three against the first-place New York Mets). Before that, Philly took two of three against the Washington Nationals. And before that, two of three against the Chicago Cubs.
Things are looking up. Ranger Suárez is back, which means Taijuan Walker will move to the bullpen — which, in a remarkable twist of fate, may actually improve the bullpen. Meanwhile, the offense is starting to settle into a groove. Alec Bohm can hit again. Max Kepler has been the best outfielder in the National League for a couple weeks. And Kyle Schwarber, in true contract-year form, is on track for his first 50-home run campaign.
One of the few relative downers has been Bryce Harper's continued struggles at the plate. This is all relative, of course, because Harper's numbers would qualify as an unmitigated success for 80 percent of the league: He has a healthy .786 OPS and six home runs through 34 games, including this timely tank from Sunday evening.
Still, Harper has not been performing up to his usual lofty standards, and he's feeling the frustration. But the signs are positive. He's staying the course — and so should Phillies fans.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper knows his breakthrough is right around the corner
"Obviously I’m not where I want to be,” Harper told reporters (h/t Philadelphia Inquirer). “I’ve gone through stretches before like this in my career. It’s going to happen. I’ll come back out of it and be totally fine."
Rob Thomson sees things the same way.
"There’s not a whole lot of slug there right now,” observed the Phillies manager. “But it’s going to be there. He’s really the last guy I worry about. I don’t think he’s that far off."
Harper has his reputation for a reason. He has been a paragon of stability for this Phillies lineup. Even at 32 years old, there's no reason to believe a sharp decline is imminent; even the best hitters endure rough patches at the plate. And, like clockwork, the best hitters tend to figure things out. All the indicators for Harper are positive.
He's in the 84th percentile for hard-hit rate. His expected slugging percentage (.481) is 59 points higher than his actual slugging percentage (.422), which implies general bad luck out of the gate. Harper is still getting around on pitches and making solid contact. It's only a matter of time until more of these batted balls find gaps in the outfield or soar over the fence.
The rest of Philadelphia's lineup appearing to figure things out — Trea Turner is getting on base at all costs, Schwarber is slugging out of his mind, Kepler is playing like an everyday outfielder — is far more meaningful than whatever slump Harper is going through. We know the kind of stuff Harper is made from. His torrential output will come in time. If the Phillies continue to blank teams on the mound and produce at the plate, Harper's breakthrough will soon arrive as the cherry on top.