Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper has reacted to his team’s losing skid, which is now nine straight losses.
The Phillies lost 8-7 in extra innings to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon, giving the team nine straight defeats. When the New York Mets beat the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night, the Phillies dropped to fifth place in the National League East. Through the first 25 games of the 2026 MLB season, the Phillies are just 8-17, for a .320 winning percentage. That’s tied for last in the entire MLB with the Kansas City Royals, who have been equally as disappointing.
Considering the Phillies have made the playoffs the last four years, this awful start has been shocking, to say the least. While Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said that manager Rob Thomson’s job is safe for now, if the Phillies keep losing, the team may be forced to make a big move to shake things up.
“I can’t remember something like this in my career. We got to get through it. Obviously, we don’t want to be where we are right now. I think you could probably tell me better if we have been through this, or other teams that I’ve played with have been through this, but I know teams that have been through this and been through the mud a little bit and still climbed out of it,” Harper said (via ESPN).
Philadelphia Phillies Need to Snap Losing Streak ASAP
If the Phillies are going to bounce back and make a playoff push this season, then they need to snap this nasty losing streak immediately. Right now, the team has no chance to make the playoffs in the deep National League. The Atlanta Braves are having a comeback season and look like the clear favorites in the NL East, and the Wild Card race is stacked with a bunch of teams that are not division leaders, currently holding winning records. The Phillies have too much talent up and down their roster to keep this losing streak going, but at the same time, so do the New York Mets, who have also had a rough start to the year. It gets late early in the MLB, so the Phillies need to start winning games right now, or else they are going to get lost in the shuffle in the deep NL.
Bryce Harper is Still Hitting at a High Level
Now in his 15th MLB season, Harper is still hitting at a high level and showing why he will be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame one day. Through the first 25 games of the season, Harper has a strong .852 OPS and a 136 wRC+, which means he is hitting 36% above league average. The slow start to the Phillies’ season is far from Harper’s fault, which makes things extra frustrating for him. Harper has been doing his part, but many of his teammates have not. If the Phillies are going to turn things around as a team, then everyone has to contribute, including the rest of the hitters and the entire pitching staff.
Bryce Harper Reacts to Phillies Losing Skid