Bryce Harper, mired in slump, says sliding Phillies must 'cowboy up'

Bryce Harper is mired in the worst slump of his career, and the Philadelphia Phillies' once-commanding lead atop the National League East is starting to dwindle.

After Philadelphia was swept at home for the first time in over two years -- in a loss punctuated by Harper's double-play groundout -- the two-time MVP offered a candid assessment of the Phillies.

"I could say we haven't been playing good baseball on both sides of the ball," Harper said after Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees. "Pretty sloppy as a team -- we've got to turn the page. We've got to cowboy up and play the right way.

"We're a damn good team. It's not that hard, it's baseball. It's how the game works. We've got really good players in here."

Harper went 0-for-5 in Thursday's loss and is in a 1-for-30 slump, the worst of his 13-year career and the worst by a Phillies player since Rhys Hoskins' 1-for-36 slide in June 2021.

The Phillies (65-43) owned a 10-game lead in the NL East on July 5 but have lost four straight games -- their longest losing streak of the season -- and are a league-worst 4-11 since July 12. Philadelphia enter Thursday's off day just 6 games ahead of the second-place Atlanta Braves (58-49).

"Going through stretches like this is part of the game," Harper said. "It's part of growing as a player. Just got to keep on keeping on."

The Phillies had a chance to rally in the ninth inning Wednesday after Kyle Schwarber's leadoff single against Yankees closer Clay Holmes. But after Austin Hays flied out to deep left field, Harper swung at Holmes' first pitch and bounced into the game-ending double play.

The Phillies had not been swept in a three-game series at home since July 22-24, 2022.

"It is what it is," Harper said. "I just have to try to battle out of it as best I can. I thought my at-bats were better, so that's good. Just got to find a way."

"It's certainly frustrating for him, because he does want to perform and help the team win," Phillies manager Rob Thomson added. "That's what he's all about, but he's just got to keep batting through it. You know he's going to come out of it at some point."

The Phillies traveled Wednesday night to Seattle and will open a three-game series Friday against the Mariners, kicking off a 10-game road trip that also includes matchups against the first-place Dodgers and the surgingDiamondbacks.

Thomson emphasized the need to "stay calm" amid the Phillies' current swoon, while Harper admitted he was "looking forward to the off day."

"I'm excited to turn the page to August," Harper said. "I'm sure a couple other guys are as well. We've got to just keep plugging along. It's a long season. We've got to just keep playing our game -- just try to keep going. That's all you can do."