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The Phillies were back home Friday night for the first time since the trade deadline to start a huge series against the Mets with first place on the line.
During the time they were away from home, they traded to Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy and Freddy Galvis, won five straight games to end their journey and received the best stretch of a week that Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto have. got together as a Phillies.
Harper heard MVP chants all night long as the Phils beat the Mets, 4-2, in front of a crowd of over 30,000. He responded by hitting a massive two-run homer in the eighth inning, which proved crucial as Kennedy was pushed deep in the ninth.
Fans are singing MVP in many cities for their best guys, but Harper has a legitimate chance of winning this thing with a solid seven-week final. He’s on fire, sits atop many important NL rankings, his power contributes to the Phillies’ victories and some top contenders like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jacob deGrom have slipped from injury.
He certainly heard the chants on Friday night.
“That’s why I came here. That’s why I wanted to be a Phillie, because of this fan base,” Harper said. “Anytime you have a fan base that does that, not just the vocals but the way they present themselves and themselves, they make us better. They make us want to be great.
“You live for these times and you work for these moments so that you can play for your team, your city, your organization. It’s so much fun playing games that matter, games that make you emotional and super intense.
“It turns us all on, the way they’re in it every round. I can’t say it enough. It just turns me on to walk up the stairs and see it with my own eyes.”
Harper is hitting .305 / .415 / .568 with 19 home runs and 44 RBIs. He’s reached base in 36 of his last 62 home plate appearances with 13 more hits – nine doubles and four homers.
More importantly, the Phillies win. They’ve won six in a row, their longest streak since June 2018. They needed all of Harper’s momentum because Andrew McCutchen is on the injured list, Rhys Hoskins has missed five of the last six games with a groin injury and Didi Gregorius appeared to injure his problematic left elbow again on Friday night when he was hit by a funny bone throw.
Harper is obviously not alone with his recent contributions. Realmuto have contested 12 points in their last nine games. Man of setup Archie Bradley became the reliever the Phillies paid $ 6 million for, allowing one earned run in 15 innings since June 30 for a 0.56 ERA. Hector Neris has made money since his explosive exit against the Padres on July 4, allowing points in just one of his last 13 appearances. Jean Segura has raked the whole season. Bottom line actors like Ronald Torreyes and Travis Jankowski have far exceeded expectations.
But it’s August 7th. The Phillies didn’t win the division on Friday night. They’ve put themselves in a good position to win the NL East and can – beware of the sporting cliché – control their own destiny in the last 52 games.
“You can’t sit on it,” Harper said. “This division is way too tough. They’re a good team for the Mets. They’re going to get Francisco Lindor, are going to get deGrom. We just have to keep playing our game and not worry about what the Mets and the Braves are doing. . “
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