Bryce Harper, Phillies bust out of treacherous slump, win 6-0 over the Mariners to salvage start of 10-game road trip out west

Bryce Harper entered yesterday’s series final against the Seattle Mariners in the worst slump of his professional baseball career. 

Harper entered Sunday in a career-worst 2-for-38 slump. The Phillies were losers of six straight games and hadn’t won a series since they completed the sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 11th.

Harper smacked singles singles in the fourth and sixth innings before hitting a two-run homer in the eighth – following what could be considered “Divine Intervention” from the baseball gods, as they placed a fly ball from Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco directly into a sun-blinded Brandon Marsh’s glove in right-center. 

WATCH: Baseball Gods save Brandon Marsh and the Phillies in the 7th inning of yesterday’s 6-0 win over the Mariners >>

After a first inning strikeout and the same offensive struggles plagued the Phillies to start Sunday’s finale, Bryce Harper started the top of the fourth inning with a line drive single to right field. He singled again to right in the top of the sixth inning and crushed a two-run homer to give the Phillies much-needed insurance in the seventh. 

Bryce Harper 2-Run Home Run

BACK#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/yvULsiJ1So

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 4, 2024

On the day, Harper went 3-for-4 with three hits and 2 RBI.

Harper became the 42nd player in MLB history to reach 3,000 total bases before turning 32.

According to Phillies Notes, of the previous 41 players to do so, 30 are enshrined in Cooperstown (73%). Harper is only the 12th left-handed hitter to reach 3,000 total bases before turning 32, and the first since HOF Ken Griffey Jr.

Bryce Harper is only the 42nd player in MLB history to reach 3,000 total bases before turning 32. Of the previous 41 players to do so, 30 are enshrined in Cooperstown (73%). Harper is only the 12th LHH to reach 3,000 TB before turning 32, and the first since HOF Ken Griffey Jr.

— PhilliesNotes (@PhilliesNotes) August 4, 2024

Needless to say, avoiding a sweep after getting swept at home by the New York Yankees before starting a rough west cast roadtrip could be the turning point for a forgettable month of baseball for the Phillies. 

The Phillies, while playing their worst form of baseball imaginable over the past month, improved to 66-45 on the season. They hold a six game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. In the National League, they hold a 1.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers and trail the Cleveland Guardians by one game for the best record in all of Major League Baseball. 

the outrage isn’t and never was valid. pic.twitter.com/QTNqi4Q2aY

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) August 5, 2024

Tonight, Aaron Nola will take the mound against the Dodgers in LA – looking to take yesterday’s win as a “reset” to what has been a forgettable stretch of Phillies baseball. 

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