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The Phillies are hotter than a hundred habaneros, as is Bryce Harper.
As of June 30, he has reached 0.353 with an OPS of 1.173, nine homers and 24 RBIs in 34 games.
The Phillies came out of the All-Star break with a 15-9 record and took control of the NHL. They are leading an eight-game winning streak, their longest in a decade, and that has helped them turn a 4½-game deficit in the division into a two-game lead in just over a week.
Things happen quickly when you’re hot in a well-packed division. The Phils are playing their best all-around ball of the season as they seek their first winning season and first playoff spot since 2011.
In his third season with the club, Harper is making his way into the NL MVP race and with 50 games to go, he has plenty of time to win, as he did in 2015 with Washington.
Since the All-Star break, Harper has led the OPS majors at 1,256.
Here are some of Harper’s rankings among NL hitters since the All-Star break:
Batting average: 5th to .370
Base percentage: 1st to .516
Slugging: 2nd to .740
Races: 4th tied with 18
Walks: 2nd tied with 21
Additional basic moves: 2nd with 17
Schedules on the base: 1st with 49
Stolen bases: 1st with 5
For the season, Harper is 7th in the league with a .302 batting average and 3rd with an OPS of .983. Only Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuña Jr. are better in this category and both are injured. Tatis has a shoulder injury and there is no timeline for his recovery. Acuña is out for the season with an ACL injury.
Harper is tied for 17th in the league with 20 homers.
Points scored is where Harper lags behind other MVP contenders. He’s just 45, 34 short of league leader Jesus Aguilar and 32 short of runner-up Manny Machado.
There is an explanation for Harper’s RBI shortage. He has 147 plaque appearances with men on the base. This ranks 140th in the majors and 56th in the NL.
Since the all-star break, however, the Phillies’ offense is the National League’s best in walks (93) and third in time on goals (297). This should help Harper get more RBI opportunities. If he cashed in, he would continue to run for his second NL MVP award – and the Phillies, with the pitch they received from Cy Young contestant Zack Wheeler and others, could continue to control the division. They are in the driver’s seat.
The Phils put their eight-game winning streak on Tuesday night when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of what will be a tough three-game series. The Phillies thought they were done with Max Scherzer when he was traded out of Washington, but they are not. He will start the opener against Aaron Nola.
Scherzer has already beaten the Phillies three times this season, limiting them to three points in 18 ”. He’s 14-4 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 career starts against the Phils.
Harper has had some success against Scherzer with two doubles and a career 10-strike homer.
Odubel Herrera is hitting 0.308 (16 for 52) with four doubles, one triple and two homers to life against Scherzer. He was eliminated late from Sunday’s game against the Mets due to Achilles’ tightness.
Rhys Hoskins didn’t do well against Scherzer. He’s 1 for 23 with 12 strikeouts. Hoskins has missed the last three games with a lingering groin injury. Given his struggles against Scherzer, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was left out of Tuesday’s starting lineup.
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