4 Phillies hitters who can ruin Zac Gallen’s NLCS homecoming

1. Bryce Harper

Who else?

Bryce Harper is 4-for-12 with a double, a walk, and a strikeout against Gallen in his career. It's hard to get much better than .333 over such an extended sample size. Harper knows how to get bat on ball against Gallen. Factor in the Phillies' home crowd, the absurd positive momentum of Harper's recent play, and his general tendency to rise to the occasion on this stage... and Gallen might want to tread carefully when Harper steps to the plate.

Harper totaled six hits, three home runs, and five RBIs during the Phillies' four-game smackdown of the Braves in the NLDS. He followed up his lone mistake — a base-running snafu at the end of Game 2 — with a trademark two-home run showcase in Game 3. He is one of the best hitters in baseball, but more importantly, he's wired for postseason baseball. He has the clutch gene, and his confidence doesn't waver under pressure.

Gallen is a tremendous pitcher. The dude gets nasty movement on his pitches and he's one of the best in the business when it comes to mixing speeds and locations.

Gallen kept Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and a loaded Dodgers lineup at bay in Game 2 of the NLDS. He has looked perfectly at home on the postseason stage; he could very well be the best pitcher the Phillies face in their quest to repeat as National League champs.

Just don't count on that mattering much to Harper (or the red-hot Phillies as a whole). We have seen Harper step to the plate, literally and figuratively, in big moments time and time again. He generally doesn't whiff. Gallen will bring his best stuff, but it may not be enough. Especially if he lets the noise of the crowd or the brightness of the lights get to him.