Bryce Harper's offensive woes continued Monday night, but the Phillies still extended their winning streak to three with a 7-4 win over the Brewers in Philadelphia.
The first-place Phillies (24-16) have now won 11 of 15, and they seem to have a different hero every night. Against the Brewers, second baseman Cesar Hernandez had his turn. Hernandez homered, scored three runs and had two RBIs to power the offense.
After all of that, we're tied!
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 14, 2019
Cesar Hernandez drills one to right and it's locked at four! pic.twitter.com/L6o4BaIIR8
And Harper, the Phillies' $330 million free agent addition in the offseason, made a diving catch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning to prevent at least two runs and possibly save the victory.
Bases loaded, 2 outs, tie game... Bryce Harper with a game-saving catch! pic.twitter.com/GoyjZ2vJrc
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 14, 2019
Yet Harper's well-documented struggles at the plate continued, as he went hitless in four at-bats with three strikeouts. Those strikeouts elicited loud boos from Phillies fans. He's now batting .175 in May, with one home run.
Harper's performance against the Brewers prompted one ESPN writer to observe, "Bryce Harper now has 19 games with multiple strikeouts this season, most in the majors. It's his fourth game with three K's. He's on pace for 212 strikeouts. Did the Phillies give $330 million to Mark Reynolds?"
Ouch. But Harper's current situation begs the question. If the Phillies, who hold a 3 1/2-game lead on the Braves in the NL East, are playing this well with Harper looking this bad … what happens when he gets hot?
Stud of the Night
White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada hit two solo home runs in Chicago's 5-2 win over the Indians.
Dud of the Night
Indians right fielder Jordan Luplow struck out in all three plate appearances against the White Sox.
Highlights
Shohei Ohtani rips his first home run of the year.
First BIG FLY for Ohtani! pic.twitter.com/8vdqRujcbb
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2019
Sunday, George Springer had two home runs and five hits. Monday, he did something amazing with his glove.
George has a spring in his step. pic.twitter.com/ZA4JLMsKmS
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2019
What's Next?
Padres (22-19) at Dodgers (27-16) 10:10 p.m. ET — The Padres have their sights set on the NL West crown but they must do well in head-to-head competition against the Dodgers. Padres rookie right hander Chris Paddack (3-1, 1.55 ERA) has pitched brilliantly. Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 3.31 ERA) has labored in his last two starts, giving up seven earned runs and three home runs in 12 2/3 innings … but he's still Clayton Kershaw.