Hot Harper carries Phillies into NL East title contention

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper waited for the “MVP!” chants to fade as he stepped to the microphone at the Phillies' home finale to thank fans for sticking by them in the pennant race.

The National League MVP contender who bows every game to fans in right field — he might even play catch with a lucky few — told the city the Phillies just might have more games to play in Philadelphia.

“We have six more big ones,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re back here Oct. 11 with you guys waving your flags and your towels and we bring back October baseball. We’ve got a big week ahead.”

Not since the halcyon days of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley have the Phillies played big September games with postseason stakes, and six this week will determine if they make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

The 28-year-old Harper is doing it all — from sliding headfirst into home to win games to throwing fastballs home from right field to save games — for the Phillies in their pursuit of the NL East crown. He has slugged them into contention since the All-Star break and has them facing a make-or-break series in Atlanta.

The Braves are in control of the NL East when they open a three-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday. Atlanta leads the division by 2 1/2 games — its magic number to clinch is five — and the Phillies will likely have to sweep the series to have a shot at the division. Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler gets the start in the opener against Atlanta’s Charlie Morton.

“We have to go down there, we have do our job, we have to be ready from pitch one,” Harper said. “Every time you play somebody, you want to sweep them.”

The pennant-race pressure cookers are a hefty reason the Phillies gave Harper $330 million over 13...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Hot-Harper-carries-Phillies-into-NL-East-title-16490644.php