”He still has swelling and is in pain. But it was a lot better than we expected,' Rob Thomson said of Harper, who had not yet tried to swing a bat before Thursday's doubleheader.
”He still has swelling and is in pain. But it was a lot better than we expected," Rob Thomson said of Harper, who had not yet tried to swing a bat before Thursday's doubleheader. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he won't put Bryce Harper back in the lineup "until he’s comfortable swinging.
"Harper wasn’t in the lineup Thursday for the matinee half of a day-night doubleheader against the Braves, his right elbow bruised and swollen after getting hit by a 95 mph fastball two nights earlier. Harper received treatment from the trainers Wednesday before the Phillies and Braves were rained out. He was in the training room again Thursday morning. “He’s doing better,“ Thomson said. ”He still has swelling and is in pain. But it was a lot better than we expected. It’s making progress.“ Harper took a heater off the elbow from Braves ace Spencer Strider in the first inning Tuesday night. X-rays were negative. The Phillies diagnosed Harper with a bruise. There was no need for additional testing, according to Thomson. But Harper had not yet tried to swing a bat before the first game of the doubleheader. It was doubtful, then, that he would be available off the bench.The Phillies had a good reason for not retaliating Tuesday night after Harper got drilled.Indeed, Strider has struggled with his command in three starts this season after missing almost all of last year while recovering from elbow surgery. How do Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo compare to Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee? Better than you might think. Strider removed his cap and appeared concerned while Harper was being assessed on the field. After the game, the Braves righty told reporters that Harper is “one of the best players this century” and “needs to be on the field. It’s best for the game.” “If I think somebody’s throwing at one of our hitters, I don’t know what I’d do,” Thomson said. “But if it’s a pitch that gets away from a pitcher, which I believe it was, and I think that everybody in our clubhouse thinks it was, that’s baseball. It happens.”The Phillies recalled righty reliever Brett de Geus from triple A to be the extra player for the doubleheader. Claimed off waivers from the Marlins on April 1, de Geus has a 0.95 ERA in 13 appearances for Lehigh Valley. He’s scheduled to be sent back to the minors after the doubleheader. ... Taijuan Walker will start the series opener against the Brewers at 6:45 p.m. Friday. He’s slated to be opposed by Milwaukee righty Quinn Priester .
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