Harper on losing streak: ‘The way we played is clearly unacceptable’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The first rule of fight club is don’t talk about fight club. And the first rule of baseball team meetings is no one is allowed to talk about that either.
Well, during what was by any measure the most charged pregame of the season, the Phillies held a team meeting on Wednesday that no one wanted to admit even happened. Was that why they ended their four-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park? We don’t know.
But designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, whose grand slam in the fourth inning gave the Phillies the lead for good, admitted there was a different feeling even though they trailed by three runs twice.
“I think it was more energy (than a sense of relief). You could feel it in the stadium. That was cool. I think our guys are doing a really good job of surviving what’s happened the last couple weeks, when we haven’t played our best baseball.
“We’ve got a really good group of guys in this locker room. We’ve got the right guys to get through this and come out better. You get some energy. You see (starter Tyler) Phillips fighting. The bullpen comes in and does a great job, puts up a lot of outs there. Got some big hits. I think the energy was there and we’re going to keep it going.”
Before the game, right fielder Nick Castellanos, who innocently claimed he was unaware of such a meeting, which may or may not have been called, spoke at length about how useful he believes team meetings can be.
He started by saying that he agreed with what Schwarber had said the night before, namely that no drastic changes are needed to get the team out of trouble.
“Why? Because I believe in the group. I believe in the guys in this clubhouse. Everybody’s a professional. And even though we haven’t won a lot of games, it’s not because we’re not working anymore or we don’t care anymore. Right? Everybody cares. And at the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for. Because I’ve been in clubhouses that don’t care.
“I’ve had team meetings before that were great. And I’ve had team meetings before that took the team in the opposite direction. So it depends on the person, it depends on the time. There’s no one right answer to that question.
“There have been meetings where players have voiced their dissatisfaction, and that’s been great. Because it had to be fought out. There are also meetings that start and only one person talks. No one else opens their mouth. And it goes terribly. So there’s no rhyme or reason. Some work and some don’t.”
First baseman Bryce Harper also dodged the question of whether a meeting even took place.
“We just have to (turn it around),” he said. “The way we’ve been playing is obviously unacceptable. But we just have to keep going. Everybody here knows what to do and how to do their job. If you don’t walk in here every day and are ready to do your job, you probably shouldn’t be here. So I think we just have to keep worrying about things that we can control. That’s playing the game the right way and winning games.”
So the logical assumption was that the overarching message on Wednesday afternoon was to stay the course. That’s probably not what frustrated fans want to hear. But there are no clearly better options at the moment.
ONE CHANGE: Shortstop Trea Turner was out of the starting lineup Wednesday night in the only public change made. He was hitting .347 on July 19 but is hitting .165 with a .420 OPS in 21 games since then.
“I’m just going to give him a little bit of breathing room,” Rob Thompson said. “Let him get off his feet for a day. Let him spend a little bit more time working on his swing. Just let him catch his breath.”
The manager added that Turner is expected to be back in the starting lineup on Thursday as the Phillies begin a series in which they face three straight left-handed starters.
UP NEXT: The Nationals head to Citizens Bank Park for a four-game weekend series that ends a home series and sets up another showdown with the Atlanta Braves (3), Kansas City (3), Astros (3) and Braves (4). Matchups for the series in Washington: LHP Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78) Thursday at 6:40 p.m.; LHP Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60) Friday at 6:40 p.m.; LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50) vs. LHP Cristopher Sanchez (8-8, 3.63) Saturday at 6:05 p.m.; and RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72) vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68) Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
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