ATLANTA — Bryce Harper was hanging around a fairly quiet clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, which was just like any other day — except for, or perhaps because of, the fact that Harper had hit three home runs and walked eight times in his last two games. The lineup posted in the clubhouse listed Harper hitting second Tuesday, which is something Harper had not done yet this season. So when assistant Joe Dillon walked into the near-empty clubhouse and stopped Harper.
“The skipper wants to see you,” Dillon told him.
“Uh oh,” Harper said, grabbing his bat and taking a few steps toward the door. “I heard Syracuse starts today so…”
Martinez did not summon Harper to send him down to Class AAA. He needed to tell him the lineup card had a typo, that he would be hitting third Tuesday as usual, not second like that lineup card said. Martinez had considered moving Harper up in the order against Julio Teheran, against whom Harper entered the day with more home runs (seven) than strikeouts (five) in his career. He finished the evening with eight career home runs against Teheran.
Harper is hitting .400 this season with four home runs and seven walks in five games. What stands out to those who have seen him this year, and who saw him regularly during the last few years, is the direction of those home runs and the outs he has made in between. Most of those home runs have come to the middle of the field, to left-center or right-center or dead center. He is not hooking them down the line. Tuesday’s home run went more to right field than right-center, but was squared up and left no doubt.
[ A Reds fan called Bryce Harper ‘overrated.’ The slugger answered with his second home run. ]
As for the outs, most of them have been productive. He grounded out in the first inning of Tuesday’s game, and that brought home a run. In one game in Cincinnati, Harper hit two soft sacrifice flies to left field, both of them on pitches he probably couldn’t have hit with much authority, but turned into runs anyway. He is not overreaching with men on base, a statement supported by his walk totals: He has walked seven times this season and has yet to strike out.
“Bryce is a great hitter. He’s getting even better. It seems like the plate discipline becoming even more,” Howie Kendrick said. “Not that he hasn’t known the strike zone before, but it’s impressive what he’s been doing and what he did last year.”
Harper’s discipline has always maintained an inverse relationship to his movement at the plate. The less he moves, the more patient he becomes, and that relative stillness is something he seems to do when things are going well — or perhaps something he starts doing that leads to things going well. Either way, when Harper is quiet, his head is still, he doesn’t chase pitches out of the zone, and he hits those balls in the zone that brave pitchers throw him. Right now, Harper is doing just that, coiling and unleashing, but not wasting any movement in the process.
The 25-year-old hasn’t spoken much during the streak, sliding away from the clubhouse quickly after games. He does not like to invite attention when he is not the only contributor. But after his two-homer game in Cincinnati this weekend, Harper said that hitting the ball to the middle of the field has not necessarily been a point of emphasis, but rather a by-product of his approach. If he doesn’t get pitches over the plate, he can’t do damage. If he does, he can and expects not to miss.
Opposing pitchers have pitched to him enough to facilitate this home run streak, which has extended to three games. Harper has homered in three consecutive games five times in his career. Only once has that streak grown to four. Three of those streaks came in 2015, that magical season of walks and homers in which Harper could do nothing wrong. He won the National League MVP that year, the youngest unanimous winner in history.
Read more on the Nationals:
The Nationals’ perfect start to the season ends with A.J. Cole getting shelled by the Braves
Nationals consider moving Bryce Harper up in the order, but stick with what’s worked
Adam Eaton’s ‘edge’ could make this the most potent Nats lineup ever
Daniel Murphy continues to make progress, but his return remains a ways off
Dusty Baker made his own sort of peace with Nationals exit, and still doesn’t care what you think
