It was another brutal loss for the Philadelphia Phillies, as their bullpen sputtered in what was a 12-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Phillies star slugger Bryce Harper spoke about the loss on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame coverage.
“We got to play better baseball,” said Harper. “If we don’t, we’re not going to be in.”
The Phillies are still in a relatively good position for clinching a postseason berth. They are still two games ahead of the San Diego Padres and three ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres.
However, Harper isn’t focused on what the other National League Wild Card contenders are doing right now.
“Got to play better baseball and not worry about the Cubs, not worry about the Diamondbacks, not worry about San Diego. We got to take care of business as a team. If we don’t, then we’re not going to be there.”
In the past nine days, the Phillies went from making a run at a National League East title to potentially backing into the postseason.
Phillies Implode in Blowout Loss to Braves
There was some hope at the start of the game, as Harper took Tyler Mahle deep in the top of the first. However, the Braves took control of the game with an eight-run fourth inning.
A Bryson Stott throwing error on what should have been the final out of the inning opened the floodgates for Atlanta. Grant Holman, who was making his first MLB appearance of the season, surrendered five more runs.
It was a microcosm of how the last 10 games have gone for the Phillies. They’ve lost seven of their last 10, and their NL East deficit has grown to an almost insurmountable six games.
“As a team, we got to look in the mirror, understand what we got to do on a nightly basis,” said Harper. “Guys got to be able to throw big innings for us, do their job, and get hits when they need to, and I’m the same way.”
Harper had a particularly brutal at-bat with a chance to pad a 1-0 lead. In the second at-bat against Mahle, he struck out on three splitters to strand runners at the corners.
The Phillies would not score again until the top of the eighth, when a Justin Crawford solo home run made it 9-2 Braves.
What’s Next for the Phillies?
The loss puts the Phillies at 82-67. Their chances of clinching a postseason spot are still very high, at 94.2% according to FanGraphs’ Playoff Odds.
At this point, the Phillies’ chances of winning the NL East are virtually zero. They’ve lost four of their last six against Atlanta, with the Padres and Diamondbacks ready to close on them.
At this point, it’s about stacking wins and securing a postseason spot. Then they can worry about where they’re going in the Wild Card round. Even if they finish above .500 for the rest of the season, which is a 7-6 record, that should be enough wins to clinch a postseason berth.
Phillies’ Bryce Harper Gets Honest After Another Brutal Loss to Braves