Notes: How the Phillies could approach resting Bryce Harper
MILWAUKEE — Bryce Harper hasn’t been performing like a player that needs rest.
Harper, who went 30 games without hitting a home run, has hit three in the last four games. That includes two in a win against the Mets on Sept. 14 to snap the homerless streak and one on Tuesday night to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth against the Brewers.
Since the start of September, Harper is batting .368 with a 1.078 OPS. His season OPS is at .911, which ranks 10th among all qualified hitters in baseball. If the season ended today, his .911 OPS would be the third-highest of his career behind his two MVP seasons (min. 500 plate appearances).
Good performances out of Harper can distract from the fact that he is still battling elbow and wrist soreness with October baseball just a couple weeks away. On the same day he hit two home runs against the Mets, Harper had to step out of the box after taking an uncomfortable swing in his final at-bat.
Harper insists that he’s fine.
“I think our trainers do a great job getting [the players] prepared,” Thomson said about Harper. “But he’s a tough guy, too. He plays through a lot and he has his entire career. Maybe it’s not visible at other times, but this one is visible because it’s an elbow. He works and he grinds and he wants to play every day and he wants this team to win and he knows that when he’s in the lineup, we’re a better club.”
He told reporters at the beginning of September that there will be a time and place for him to take a few days off in advance of the postseason.
That time and place is approaching quickly. The Phillies can clinch a postseason berth as early as Wednesday and the NL East as early as Thursday. They could even wrap up a bye to the Division Series over the weekend in New York if things break their way.
The last series of the season against Washington and perhaps a couple games in the Cubs series at home next week could be virtually meaningless for the Phillies. That could give the Phillies a chance to rest Harper and other lineup regulars.
“Possibly, we’ll talk to him,” Thomson said. “But we still have other things that we want to do too. With the best record and get the bye. Best record in the National League. Best record in baseball, just so we get that home-field advantage. There’s still some carrots out there that we want.”
Update on Spencer Turnbull
Spencer Turnbull (right lat strain) threw a live batting practice session in Clearwater, Fla. on Tuesday. The Phillies are trying to figure out his next steps. He could throw a simulated game or get into an actual game in Lehigh Valley on a rehab assignment over the weekend.
He threw around 25 pitches in the actual batting practice session and around 65 total including warm up pitches. That 65 number is not indicative of how the Phillies want to eventually ramp him up.
It’s unclear if Turnbull will be back at all this season, but the Phillies are trying. A need for another bullpen arm could arise if an injury pops up. Turnbull will not return as a starter if he does make it back. He could potentially make the postseason roster as a reliever.
Getting Ranger Back
Perhaps the two biggest pitching concerns the Phillies have are Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez’s recent struggles. We’ll see later tonight if Nola can complete five innings for the first time since Sept. 1, but for Suárez, the Phillies are hoping a few tweaks will help him get back to his peak self from the beginning of the year.
What are those tweaks? Thomson smiled and declined to get into specifics when asked.
Since returning from back issues on Aug. 24, Suárez has a 4.44 ERA in five starts. His average sinker velocity on Monday was 90.2 mph, down 0.3 mph on his season average. It’s getting better relative to his start against the Marlins on Sept. 5, when his sinker averaged 88.9 mph.
Like Harper, there is belief that Suárez will elevate his game in October as he has in each of the last two seasons.
“No doubt about it,” Thomson said. “I think you’ll see that with Nola too.”
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