This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki's Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Bryce Harper lamented his eighth-inning at-bat Tuesday night.

The Phillies trailed the Braves by three runs at Citizens Bank Park, but they had a runner on first with one out. They had a chance. They especially had a chance with Harper at the plate, but Braves right-hander Nick Anderson quickly had him 0-2 after he swung and missed at a couple curveballs.

Harper struck out swinging at a third curveball, one that spiked in front of the plate.

“I’m thinking he’s going to throw me a heater in that position, behind in the count,” Harper said following the 4-2 loss to Atlanta. “I sold out for the heater and I swung at a ball 54 feet.”

The Phillies have won 13 of 16 games since June 2 to crawl back into postseason contention. They have done it without Harper clicking on all cylinders. He is batting .301 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and an .817 OPS since he rejoined the team on May 2. He is batting .317 with four doubles, eight RBIs and a .775 OPS during the 13-3 run.

But Harper has not homered since May 25. The 21-game homerless streak is the third-longest drought of his career. 

“I’ve just got to stay the course, right?” Harper said. “I can’t try to do it because if I try to do it, then I’m going to punch out and not get on base. I’ve got to take my walks. I’ve got to keep getting on base and have good days. I’ve never really struggled with power in my career, I can say. It’s not me talking great about myself, but I just feel like the power will come, those numbers will come. But again, I can’t try to do that. If I try to do it, then it’s just not going to be good.”

Harper is being challenged, however, in a way he has never been challenged in his career. He is seeing only 44.4 percent fastballs, which is the seventh-lowest rate in baseball (minimum 500 pitches). 

It is also a career low. His previous low? 52.4 percent, last season.

It is even worse against lefties. Harper is seeing only 39.8 percent fastballs against them, which is the third-lowest rate in baseball (minimum 100 pitches). Harper never saw fewer than 53.6 percent fastballs against lefties in any season.

It explains why Harper is batting .177 with a .454 OPS against lefties this year, compared to his career .259 batting average and .807 OPS against them. Just add it to Harper’s list of 2023 challenges. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery in November. He hopes to play first base sometime after the All-Star break.

“I’m not even close to being there right now,” Harper said. “We threw from 120 [feet] today for the first time. It feels good coming out, but I just don’t think we’re there right now.”

Harper playing in the field at some point would be a nice bonus. But the Phillies mostly need him to be a force in the middle of the lineup.

Harper is not worried about that. It will come.

“Of course, the power numbers aren’t there,” he said. “But I feel strong. I feel good. I feel like my at-bats have been good. I can always get better and improve, but where I’m at right now I feel pretty good.”