The duality of Bryce Harper was on full display Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta. In the span of six batters in the seventh inning, Harper badly misplayed a ball in right field that allowed the go-ahead run to cross the plate and hit a game-tying home run as part of back-to-back homers with Kyle Schwarber. Harper also drove in the game's first run with a single in the first inning.
He went 2 for 5 in the Phillies' Game 2 win (PHI 4, ATL 3 in 10 innings). "Schwarb, Harp, after we give up those two, they got momentum," Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. "And to be able to get that back right away was huge." Philadelphia rearranged its defense to accommodate Luis Arraez at the trade deadline, which pushed Alec Bohm from third base to first base and Harper from first base back to right field.
The results were not always positive. On Wednesday, Bohm failed to get an out on a bunt in that seventh inning immediately prior to Harper's misplay. Drake Baldwin lifted a fly ball that Harper misplayed into a double, which gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
"Obviously a world of emotion there," Harper said of his misplay. "I didn't think he hit it very hard and I realized he only hit 89 (mph exit velocity), so I thought it was going to be a pop fly just right at me and then it kind of kept traveling. Obviously a ball I should have caught." Based on the exit velocity and launch angle, Statcast registered Baldwin's double -- "double" -- with an .080 expected batting average.
Stats aside, it's a ball that must be caught, much like Ha-Seong Kim's bunt was a ball that had to be turned into an out. Bohm hesitated just enough for Sean Murphy to beat the throw to second base. Little things that cost the Phillies.
"I think it's a ball Bryce probably thinks he should have caught," Mattingly said. "It looked like it kept carrying a little bit. But no, you don't need to say anything to guys like that in that spot, not in this moment." Matt Olson followed Baldwin's double -- again, "double" -- with a sacrifice fly to give the Braves a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning.
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