Cutch's slam, Harper's 5 hits pace Phillies
Club scores double digits in consecutive games for 1st time since 2015
Bryce Harper finally got one.
He hit 14 consecutive solo home runs to start the 2021 season before he ripped a three-run homer to right field in the seventh inning Tuesday night in a 15-10 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Harper had been unaware of his strange little streak until recently, when teammate Andrew Knapp told him about it.
Harper’s 15th homer of the season was his fourth hit in a career-high-tying five-hit night.
“Hey, you did it finally,” Knapp told him back in the dugout.
“Yeah, man,” Harper said. “Here we go.”
Here go the Phillies, too. They scored double-digit runs in consecutive games for the first time since June 22-23, 2015. A victory Wednesday night against the Cubs would move the Phillies (41-42) to .500 for the first time since June 19, and give them their first four-game road series victory since Aug. 31-Sept. 3, 2017, in Miami.
It all started Tuesday with some familiarity against an old friend.
Andrew McCutchen had faced Jake Arrieta 62 times in his career, mostly as a member of the Pirates, before the two played together the past two seasons with the Phillies. Their 63rd meeting came with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the first inning.
McCutchen barreled a 2-1 sinker thrown down the heart of the plate.
He sent the pitch into the center-field bleachers for a grand slam. It was the third slam of McCutchen’s career, and his second in two weeks. It was the fifth time in franchise history the Phillies hit a grand slam in their fourth at-bat of a game. McCutchen joined Ryan Howard (Aug. 28, 2012, vs. Mets), Bobby Abreu (Aug. 4, 2005, vs. Cubs), Greg Luzinski (June 11, 1977, vs. Braves) and Dick Allen (July 8, 1965, vs Giants) in that category.
“You just got a good vibe [after the slam],” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “I just liked the at-bats. Ten pitches in, we had four runs and there was a lot of solid contact. You’ve got to love it.”
Harper, McCutchen and Rhys Hoskins each homered and had four RBIs. It was the first time the Phillies had three players with at least four RBIs in a game since Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth did so on July 6, 2009, in a 22-1 victory over the Reds.
Harper is batting .313 (15-for-48) with seven homers, 12 RBIs and a 1.164 OPS in his last 13 games. McCutchen is batting .293 (29-for-99) with seven homers, 25 RBIs and a .975 OPS in his last 31 games. Hoskins is batting .391 (9-for-23) with four homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.087 OPS in his last seven games.
Jean Segura had four hits, too. He has been hitting well all season.
“When we’re all going at the same time, it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Harper said. “I think we’re coming into our own as a team.”
Harper boosted his OPS from .878 to .914 in just one night. The Phillies will need more of that from Harper in the season’s final two-plus months. He has missed time because of various injuries, which has affected his production. He had been a finalist to make the National League All-Star team, but he did not make the team, even as a reserve.
Harper said he was disappointed, though he probably would not have gone anyway -- instead using those days to spend time with his family and rest his body.
He has long-term goals on his mind.
“I never look at my midseason numbers or my first month or my second month,” Harper said. “I try to look at it as a season, as a whole. Once we get into September, hopefully we’re in first place and we’re getting ready for some cold baseball in October.”
Beating the Cubs, who have lost 11 in a row, is a good way to get there. But they need to keep it going. They should like their chances on Wednesday. They have their ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.