“It’s Not Great,” Bryce Harper Makes Honest Admission Regarding Phillies After 10th Successive Loss

The Philadelphia Phillies fell to an 8-18 record after dropping their 10th successive game on Friday through a 5-3 loss against the Atlanta Braves.

“It’s Not Great,” Bryce Harper Makes Honest Admission Regarding Phillies After 10th Successive Loss

Bryce Harper (Image via Bleacher Report)

The Philadelphia Phillies are spiraling down. On Friday, the team suffered its 10th successive loss as the Atlanta Braves defeated them 5-3. Following the game, Bryce Harper made an honest admission regarding the team.

The Phillies were one of the top teams last season. They finished top of the National League East division with a 96-66 record, 13 games ahead of second-place New York Mets. Then they went on to lose against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series (NLDS).

In the offseason, the team brought back Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. With these signings, they were once again one of the favorites to push for the title.

However, things have not gone the way they anticipated. After winning the series opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 6, they lost three games in a row and fell 6-7 for the season. Two wins and one loss in the next three games saw them have an 8-8 record after 16 games.

Since then, they have kept on losing. They first got swept by their division rival, the Atlanta Braves, in a 3-game set at Citizens Bank Park. They got outscored 16-3 in this series.

The Chicago Cubs then completed a 4-game sweep of them. A 5-1 loss was followed by 7-1, 7-2, and an extra-inning 8-7 loss, taking their losing skid to 9 games.

On Friday, they once again took on the Braves. It seemed this barren run would come to an end as Trea Turner gave the team the lead through a 2-run home run in the top of the 3rd inning.

Ronald Acuna Jr. then leveled the game in the next frame with a 2-run shot of his own. Within moments, the Braves were back on level terms.

In the 5th inning, Harper then crushed a solo shot to put his side back on top. However, the Braves fought back again and added 3 runs in the 6th inning to take a 5-3 lead. The Phillies, once again, did not have any answer after that and lost their 10th straight game.

Harper, who went 1-for-5 in this game, did not mince his words after the game. The 2-time National League MVP expressed that they needed to win as simply as that.

Yeah, it’s not great. Obviously, it’s not the spot where we want to be. I’ve said it multiple times. It’s like beating a dead horse, man. We can all say everything the same way every single day. Nobody wants to hear it. We’ve just got to win. Plain and simple.

Bryce Harper said as per NBC Sports Philadelphia

The NL East side now has the sole possession of the worst record in MLB at 8-18. With the Braves winning against them, they are 10.5 games behind their division rivals after just 26 games into the season.

They, however, are not the only NL East team struggling. A few days back, the Mets lost 12 games in a row and fell to a 7-16 record. Since then, they have won twice in 3 games and 9-17 for the year.

What is the Phillies’ longest losing streak in MLB?

It will be an understatement to say that the Philadelphia Phillies are struggling this season. The 2-time World Series winners have dropped 10 games in a row following their 5-3 loss against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson
Rob Thomson (Image via MLB)

When it comes to losses, the Phillies hold an unwanted record in this. Their 23-game losing run in 1961 is the longest losing streak in modern MLB history.

The loss on Friday marked the first time since 1999 that the Phillies had dropped 10 straight games. That year, they embarked on a 10-game losing streak in September and finished with a 77-85 record, 26 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves.

Has any team made the playoffs after losing 10 games in a row?

The Philadelphia Phillies matched an unwanted franchise streak on Friday as they lost their 10th straight game and fell 8-18 down for the season. With their loss, a major question has come up. Has any team made the playoffs after losing 10 games in a row?

Phillies' Trea Turner
Trea Turner (Image via MLB)

The answer is yes. In MLB history, 4 teams have made it to the playoffs after losing 10 games in a row at any point in the season. The most recent example of this was last year, when the Cleveland Guardians lost 10 in a row but still reached the postseason.

The AL Central side went on a losing run between late June and early July and fell 40-48 for the year. In September, they went on a long winning run and won 10 games in a row.

The Guardians eventually won 17 of their last 19 games of the season. This, along with the collapse of the Detroit Tigers, saw them overcome a 15.5-game division lead to win the title. They finished top of the AL Central with an 88-74 record, one game ahead of the Tigers.

The other three teams to do this are the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, the 1982 Atlanta Braves, and the 1951 New York Giants. As for the Wild Card era, 5 teams have reached the postseason after losing 9 straight games.

So for the Phillies (and the Mets), the chances of making the playoffs are still there. Both teams, however, will need a massive turnaround and a potential collapse of the Braves, who hold the best record in the league at 19-8, to win the division title from here.

Also Read: