🔔 Bryce Harper and the Heartbreakers?

_{LAST GAME: Braves 7 - Phillies 6}

_{NEXT GAME: Phillies (Cristopher Sanchez) vs. Braves (Spencer Strider)}

_{Today, 6:40 EDT | NBCSCP, 94 WIP}

Good morning. If you love the thrill of dramatic late-game comebacks, only to be left soon thereafter pondering soul-crushing defeat, boy, do I have the baseball team for you! 

Again, the Phillies led a furious comeback. Again, they failed to close the deal. If you’re searching for a silver lining after their latest heartbreaker, they have shown toughness and the ability to punch with the Braves this week, but they have to start winning these games.

Elsewhere, the Cubs lost to a 52-win Rockies squad last night, so the Phillies still hold a 1 ½ game lead for the top NL Wild Card spot.

In the email today:

We have to talk about this thrill of the comeback, agony of excruciating defeat thing some more. According to MLB Statcast, the Braves entered the bottom of the 8th inning last night with a 96% win probability.

Fast-forward through Bryce Harper’s 1,500th career hit (and 17th homer of the season), Bryson Stott’s two-run shot, and Trea Turner’s game-tying blast to the bottom of the ninth with two runners on base and nobody out. The Phillies suddenly held an 81% win probability.

Didn’t matter.

J.T. Realmuto flailed at three straight pitches before Nick Castellanos rolled into a first-pitch double-play to end the threat. An inning later, old friend Brad Hand was throwing wipe-out breaking balls to preserve a 7-6 win for Atlanta.

Some thoughts on the late-game sequence:

• Bunt with Realmuto? Maybe, but he has one successful sac bunt in 4,531 career plate appearances. It’s been eight years since he successfully executed one. “You don’t ask somebody to do something that they can’t do,” Rob Thomson said after the game.

• My thing with the Realmuto at-bat isn’t about bunting, it’s about missing two hittable pitches early in the count. Failure is going to happen, but he is hitting .186 with runners in scoring position this season. Just needs to be better in big spots.

• Speaking of needing to be better, the Phillies were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position last night.

• Yeah, Brandon Marsh needs to put the ball in play in the 10th inning with a runner on third and one out, but lefties are hitting .191 against Hand this season. Tough ask.

• The Phillies could have used a right-handed bat in that spot. Good thing Rodolfo Castro, who has one at-bat this month, continues to occupy a roster spot!

Our take: The Phillies have hit five home runs (two by Turner, three by Harper) in the eighth or later that either tied a game or gave them a lead since August 23. They haven’t won any of them.

2) 🤖 Robo Umps: It Is Time

Larry’s hate for umpires runs deep. It always has. For a long time, I’ve been on the other side of this argument. Umpires are going to miss calls, human element, part of the game, all those talking points. But you see these huge misses in big spots, and you have to wonder: If the technology exists to govern the game in a more precise, fair, and consistent manner — then what the hell are we doing here?

This 10th inning miss by home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso was a killer. Runner on third, one out, 1-2 count. Craig Kimbrel has Eddie Rosario struck out, and…

Our take: Fives pitches (and a couple dropped foul tips) later, the Braves took a 7-6 lead on an RBI single by Rosario. The Phillies fully earned the “L” last night, but this stuff has to stop happening.

3) Tweet of the Day: “F*** You, Trea”

Guess I didn’t need to bleep out the heading above, but this is a family newsletter.

Turner, by the way, is hitting .436 with 11 home runs and a 1.527 OPS over his last 15 games.

4) 📊 Poll: Victory in Defeat?

Have additional thoughts? Reply directly to this email to comment, and see if we include your response tomorrow.

…

Results from our last poll [Is Bryce Harper the Most Clutch Philly Athlete Ever?]:

Your replies…

“Jimmy Rollins was the most clutch player during his time, but it seems that Harper just finds himself in the right place at the right time and seems to always come through.”

“This may be extreme recency bias but how can there be any other answer right now but yes? He hit a HR to send us to the WS, I think that may have been his 30th HR in the 22 playoffs (at least it felt like it) and he not only wants to be up in those moments but thrives on those moments and has so many in such a short amount of time. It's absolutely insane and fun to watch. ”

“Yes, although I changed my mind after I voted and think it has to be Foles for the Super Bowl.”

5) 🔗 Link Roundup:

• Braves writer (and fan) Mark Bowman with a weak Santa Clause/Philly reference. 🥱

• Two fans ran onto the field after the Turner home run. The footage. 🏃

• Garrett Stubbs was the Phillies’ recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award. ❤️

• Sixto Sanchez pitched last night. He topped out at 88mph and looks like he put on a few (or 20) pounds. 🍔

• A good roundup of the radio calls from last night. 📻

The newsletter today was written by: Bob Wankel (Follow on X)

Thanks for reading!