Despite a solid game at the plate on Sunday, Bryce Harper’s frustrations are mounting.
The eight-time All Star and two-time National League MVP went 2-for-5 with a home run in the Phillies’ 11-9 loss to the Diamondbacks.
But coming into the game, Harper was 6-for-47 in his last 11 games, and the homer in the first inning was his first in 13 games.
“I’m just frustrated on a bigger level,” Harper said after the loss. “[I] Just want to come through for the team and play well. And obviously, I’ve been through ruts in my career and gone through ups and downs. And, worse than what I’m on right now. But, just frustrated for the fans, frustrated for my team.”
While Harper’s solid performance could be a sign of him breaking out of the slump, his vexation hasn’t disappeared just yet as he wasn’t happy when he squandered away a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 10th inning — stranding two runners with a two-pitch at-bat that ended in a fly-out.
“Even that last moment right there against [Jalen] Beeks, just not coming through — was super frustrated for that,” Harper said. “So, I just want to play better. Got to play better. Take better at-bats and all that kind of stuff. So just got to be a better ballplayer.”
His OPS of .786 on the season is currently the lowest of his entire seven-year tenure with the Phillies, and is barely better than the lowest of his whole career — the .768 he posted in just his third MLB season.
His batting average currently sits at .234, which would be the worst of his career.
But with the season just entering May, Harper has time — and confidence — to turn things around.
“Obviously, I’m not where I want to be. Like I said, I’ve gone through stretches like this in my career. It’s going to happen. I’ll come back out of it and be totally fine,” he said. “But it’s just a frustrating moment, just not being able to come through.”
Philadelphia will be looking for a jolt from Harper as it currently sits at 19-15, 2 1/2 games behind the Mets in the NL East.
“Realizing I got to be better for my teammates and the fans and they expect that. This organization expects that,” Harper said. “So, I think I hold myself to a really high standard and my teammates do as well and everybody else. So I got to be better.”