Harper endures 1st 4-strikeout game since rookie year
Maybe he is human, after all.
Bryce Harper, the reigning National League MVP who entered Sunday's series finale just 1-for-13 (.077) in his last four games, looked shockingly mortal yet again versus Carlos Martinez and the St. Louis Cardinals, striking out four times in four plate appearances to tie a dubious career high he established as a rookie in 2012.
| Date | Opp | Rslt | PA | SO | WPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/01/2016 | STL | W 6-1 | 4 | 4 | -0.058 |
| 8/21/2012 | ATL | W 4-1 | 4 | 4 | -0.047 |
| 6/16/2012 | NYY | L 3-5 | 7 | 5 | -0.295 |
Harper, who had faced Martinez just three times in his career before Sunday, was called out on strikes when he squared off against the right-hander in the first and fourth inning, went down swinging in the sixth, and whiffed again in the eighth against reliever Seung Hwan Oh with Anthony Rendon standing at second.
Though the Washington Nationals phenom still has nine homers and leads the National League with 24 RBIs, Harper's average has crumbled to .272 throughout his mini-slump. Harper, an All-Star every year of his career except 2014, is also the first Nationals player to strike out four times in a game this year.