Washington Nationals: 5 to watch as Braves visit before All-Star Break
By Drew Douglas
Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper has enjoyed quite a bit of success against Atlanta throughout his career. Braves fans used to boo him during every visit to Turner Field, which seemed to only fuel him to perform better.
In 90 games, he has a career slash line of .283/.389/.523 against Atlanta and has slugged 19 homers. His 19 homers are his third-most against any team.
Harper has hit particularly well against Julio Teheran, Saturday’s probable starter. In 36 at-bats against Teheran, Harper has seven homers and 17 RBI’s. He also has a slash line of .444/.524/1.111.
Teheran is Atlanta’s ace and the 26-year-old is one of the brightest young arms in the league. The fact that Harper has enjoyed so much success against him really speaks to what he’s been able to accomplish throughout his career.
One thing to keep an eye on is how Harper fares on Friday against R.A. Dickey. Dickey is a knuckleballer and has given Harper trouble in the past. He’s a career .240 hitter against Dickey, including 2-for-8 this year.
Dickey’s knuckleball has seemingly made Harper extremely uncomfortable at the plate. Earlier this season, Harper got ahead in the count 3-0 and then struck out without swinging once in the entire at-bat. Also, in 2015, Harper said that he hates hitting knuckleballs.
A knuckleball is a very difficult pitch to hit, and lots of hitters struggle against it. Dusty Baker explained it best when he said that the best strategy for hitting a knuckleball is, “hope he throws you a fastball.”
Harper has been at his best for most of 2017. After an injury-plagued 2016 season, Harper has returned to MVP form. Although July just began, he is off to an outstanding start. In four games, he is 8-for-15 with two homers, six RBI’s, and six runs scored.
During this series, Harper will face a pitcher who he has crushed in the past and a pitcher who he has struggled against in the past. It will be interesting to see if he is able to continue to hit well against Teheran and if he’ll be able to make adjustments against Dickey. Hopefully for the Nats, he is able to continue his hot start before heading off to the All-Star Game.