Washington Nationals: 3 Takeaways From 7-1 Loss To Mets
By Ricky Keeler
Harper’s May Slump Continues
Even thoughBryce Harper has walked 31 times this month (most in the league), the 23-year-old is hitting .222. In his MVP season last year, Harper didn’t have a month in which he hit below .273 (11 at-bats in October).
Last night, Harper wasn’t as patient at the plate against Colon and the Mets as usually is. He only saw ten pitches, which was the second lowest pitch total any Washington Nationals batter saw last night (Ben Revere saw eight pitches). In his three at-bats against Colon, he saw no more than three pitches in an at-bat.
In his last six games, Harper is 4-for-18 with one double and one RBI. After the game, Harper was talking to the media and he still had his uniform on, which was another surprise:
Harper was still in uniform when he spoke to media. Appeared to have gone straight to cage after the game, but said 'no comment' when asked.
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) May 24, 2016
Harper feels like he needs to do more damage on pitches he's given, but added: 'I feel like I can walk 200 times this year if I wanted to.'
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) May 24, 2016
With only eight games left in the month, it would be good for Harper to end the month on a strong note. Despite his struggles this month with the batting average, he still has a .500 on-base percentage, which is excellent.
In the end, I still expect Harper’s numbers to come around, but it is evident that the frustration is starting to set in that he isn’t taking advantage of the few pitches that he has a chance to do damage with at the plate.
Next: Offense Stalls Against Colon