After Philadelphia Phillies fans were forced to slog through a wet Wednesday with no baseball, they'll get a double dose on Thursday. With the Phillies and Atlanta Braves finishing their three-game series at Citizens Bank Park with a split day/night doubleheader, the Phils and their fans will have to make do without Bryce Harper in the lineup, at least for Game 1.
When the first game of the doubleheader kicks off at 1:05 p.m. ET, Harper won't be in the lineup and manning first base like we're accustomed to seeing. It's not a massive surprise after seeing how much pain he was in on Tuesday when he got drilled by a Spencer Strider 95 mph fastball on his right elbow.
Luckily, X-rays came back negative, per MLB.com's Paul Casella, and the Phillies have said that they don't expect a long-term absence for Harper.
Bryce Harper's absence from the lineup will make Phillies fans hate Spencer Strider and the Braves even more
As Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday morning, the Phillies don’t know if Harper will be able to play in Game 2. He’s being treated for bruising and swelling and hasn't yet tried to swing a bat.
Any amount of time missed for Harper, who was rounding into form, is a tough pill to swallow for the Phillies. And seeing their star player out will only serve to further agitate Phillies fans, who are already on edge with the villainous Strider and the hated Braves in town. The right-hander already heard plenty of boos on Tuesday.
Strider and the Braves got into it with fans at The Bank on Tuesday before the game even began. During Strider's warmups, Braves' bullpen personnel embarrassingly had CBP security remove heckling Phillies fans from the area.
As for the Phillies' lineup for Game 1, Alec Bohm will shift from third to first, while Edmundo Sosa will slot in at the hot corner. Here's the full batting order:
- 1. 2B Bryson Stott
- 2. SS Trea Turner
- 3. DH Kyle Schwarber
- 4. 1B Alec Bohm
- 5. RF Nick Castellanos
- 6. LF Max Kepler
- 7. 3B Edmundo Sosa
- 8. CF Brandon Marsh
- 9. C Rafael Marchán
Lefty Cristopher Sánchez will tow the rubber for the Phillies in Game 1, facing Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver. Game 2, scheduled for a 6:45 p.m. ET first pitch, will pit 2024 NL Cy Young runner-up Zack Wheeler against Cy Young winner Chris Sale.
There's a chance that we see Harper back in there for Game 2. But more realistically, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see manager Rob Thomson give his superstar the full day off, with the hope that Harper will be able to go on Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town.