Bryce Harper rips easy scapegoat for Phillies' inconsistent offense

The Philadelphia Phillies are built in win-now mode. They have the offensive pieces they need and have their starters all healthy at the same time again. So what could possibly be the hold-up now?

The club felt like it was rightfully back on top after besting the NL second-best Los Angeles Dodgers in a grand sweep from July 9 to 11. Since then, the Phillies have lost three consecutive series with a record of 3-6. Going back to their return stateside from the London Series, the Phillies are carrying a record of 19-18 in their last 27 games.

The hitting at times goes MIA and the bullpen is leaking oil more often. It's a possible stark realization for a team that was expecting to rely on the bullpen for relief. The trade deadline can't come soon enough.

Bryce Harper rips easy scapegoat for Phillies' inconsistent offense

The frustration certainly came to a head Wednesday afternoon after the Phillies dropped yet another series — this time in walk-off fashion to the Minnesota Twins. Bryce Harper was interviewed postgame and was asked about his visible frustration regarding a called third strike. Harper did not mince words about how he felt.

"The frustration is they don't know how to call balls and strikes and they've done it the last six games," Harper said. "In Pittsburgh too. Ball's down, it's not a strike."

To Harper's credit, on his strikeout looking in the fifth inning, the final strike looked below the zone. But according to MLB Gameday, Twins pitcher David Festa's 88.2 mph changeup caught the bottom of the zone.

The strike zone was inconsistent over the last six games, but in times when the offense just can't get it going, frustrations with the strike zone always seem to balloon and overshadow the real issue.

Over the last 30 days, the team has been middle of the pack offensively in the NL, including being eighth ranked in OPS with .725 and 10th with 102 runs scored.

Perhaps the last couple of months of the Phillies season could be looked fondly on right now with a tough stretch on the schedule coming up, starting with the AL-best Cleveland Guardians on Friday night.