2 weeks Ago
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper jumped the first pitch he saw Friday night, a slider in the zone, and smashed it for a double. He saw one pitch in his next at-bat, a 99 mph fastball, and he cracked a sharp liner to left for another double. Two pitches and two extra-base hits — only his second game with two extra-base hits since the All-Star break.
Every swing he’s taken during this homestand has been with a large black sleeve over his right arm. Harper has been playing through nagging injuries, which he told MLB.com are not an excuse for a power outage that has lasted more than a month.
Advertisement They are, at least, an explanation. “I feel fine,” Harper said after a three-hit game in an otherwise forgettable 7-2 Philadelphia Phillies loss. “I feel good.
It’s August, obviously, so I think everybody’s grinding a little bit. Just part of the game.” It’s part of the game right now for three important Phillies.
Ranger Suárez struck out the first five batters he faced Friday, then failed to pitch past the fourth inning. He is still searching for command and stamina because he missed a month with a sore back. Alec Bohm was not available to play Friday with inflammation in his left hand; it’s unclear whether he will play this weekend.
But no one is more important than Harper, who has a .724 OPS since the break. He has continued to hit the ball hard, but he has not made consistent contact.
He has been susceptible to off-speed pitches below the strike zone. He has not homered in 77 consecutive plate appearances. Harper told MLB.
com that he’s dealt with pain in his right elbow and wrist. That’s the elbow that was reconstructed through Tommy John surgery, but Harper said the injury is not to a ligament. It’s just bothered him for longer than he’d like.
If he is grinding through it now, why is he confident he will feel like he wants to feel come October? “I just have to,” Harper said. “That’s it. It’s part of the game.
It’s part of the process of going through a season. Just have to stay the course and understand I rely heavily on my body. Just have to go.
” Is he concerned about the injuries nagging him for the remainder of the season? “No,” Harper said. “Not concerned.” "I feel fine.
" Bryce Harper addresses his health and how he's feeling after a three-hit performance on Friday. pic.twitter.
com/2i9dgMdeos — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 31, 2024 The results Friday, as far as Harper was concerned, were a decent sign. But the ailments explain some developments earlier this month. Rob Thomson chose not to pinch hit with Harper as the potential tying run Aug.
18. The Phillies had a day off Aug. 19 and, Aug.
20 in Atlanta, Thomson waited longer than usual before submitting his lineup. The manager said he had to check on some players with “wear and tear” before making decisions. Harper, according to a team source, was one of those players.
The Phillies have urged Harper to be honest with how he’s feeling. Harper does not like to sit. It’s not likely the club’s medical staff would allow him to play if he was risking greater injury.
Advertisement So, for now, he’ll push through it. No one feels good this time of year, and Bohm can attest to that. A few days to rest his body and mind might not be the worst thing.
Bohm has shown outward signs of frustration as his production with runners in scoring position has dipped in the last month. He injured his left hand on a swing in Thursday’s game. The Phillies’ immediate concern was a hamate injury, but X-rays and other examinations revealed no structural damage, Thomson said.
The current treatment is rest. The team provided Suárez with more rest than he might have needed; the goal was to manage his innings with October in mind. Suárez threw 78 pitches Friday night — only six more than his previous start — and Thomson said that was by design.
Suárez did not have a minor-league rehab start. So, they will begin to build his pitch count in his next outing. He’s had better starts than the one against Atlanta .
“There were pitches I left in the middle of the zone,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “I made a couple of mistakes and that changed the whole outing.” But he felt right.
“I’m happy with the couple of outings that I’ve had so far,” Suárez said. “Obviously, today’s results were not good for us. But I feel really good.
I feel happy with where I’m heading towards getting healthy at the end of the season.” Suárez has four or five starts left to recapture his form. He might not be the pitcher he was in April, but the Phillies need a decent version of Suárez to make the October equation work.
The team’s advantage is its four starters. Everything is better when they are in control of a game. The 29-year-old lefty is convinced he can round into form by October.
“That’s what you come here every day to do,” Suárez said. “Work every day. Stretch every day.
Get a routine every day. I felt really good these past couple starts. So, I think that’s building towards the finish that I want and also what the team wants for me.
Just keep working.” It’s like Harper said. There is no alternative.
(Photo of Bryce Harper: Bill Streicher / USA Today).
