Phils see versions of Harper, Domínguez needed for final push

PHILADELPHIA -- It's not always easy to maintain perspective this time of year -- especially when it comes to a Phillies team pushing for its first postseason appearance since 2011.

That task became even more difficult following an ugly performance like the one the Phils turned in Saturday afternoon in a 6-3 loss to the division-rival Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Bailey Falter turned in the worst start of his young career and the Phillies didn't get their first hit until the sixth inning -- after the Braves had already racked up 12 of their own.

But again, it's all about perspective.

Bryce Harper showed signs of snapping out of his recent slump by smashing a two-run opposite-field homer. Seranthony Domínguez tossed a scoreless frame of relief, albeit in a low-leverage situation. Rhys Hoskins came within a few feet of a game-tying three-run homer (it instead hooked foul) in the seventh inning. Despite the Phillies being outhit 14-3, they can still secure a series win on Sunday afternoon.

And, oh yeah, the Phils finished the day still holding a multiple-game lead in the NL Wild Card race. Milwaukee (82-70) is 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia (83-68) and San Diego (83-68) after beating the Reds Saturday night, but the Phillies hold the tiebreaker over the Brewers, meaning it is essentially a two-game advantage.

"We've kind of done that all year, trying to fight back, claw back, fight back, claw back,” Harper said. "Hopefully we can go out there tomorrow and win a series against a great team over there."

If Harper keeps swinging the bat like he did on Saturday, it'll certainly help. Though his home run, which left the bat at 108.3 mph and traveled a projected 404 feet, was obviously the highlight, Harper's other three trips to the plate may have been just as encouraging.

In the first inning, Harper fouled off three straight 1-2 offerings before laying off three consecutive balls to draw a walk.

"Chasing pitches out of the zone has been big for me, not taking my walks," said Harper, who entered Saturday hitting just .149 in September with 26 strikeouts and nine walks. "You guys know when I'm locked in, I'm probably at my best. So I'm just trying to understand: Let the pitchers come to me and throw the ball over the plate. And when they don't, take my walks."

Though Harper was retired in his other two plate appearances, he scorched the ball in each -- hitting a 105.3 mph groundout in the fourth and a 104.7 mph flyout in the eighth.

"He had great at-bats today. He looked like he was balanced and on-time and barrelling balls up," Thomson said. "Back to an aggressive swing. I thought his at-bats were completely different today than they have been the last couple weeks."

Thomson had a similar assessment on Domínguez, who cruised through a scoreless seventh inning. He had one strikeout and the only baserunner he allowed came on an infield single by Michael Harris II.

Domínguez threw 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes, while his four-seamer averaged 98.6 mph -- up from his overall season average of 97.5. It was a far cry from his previous two outings in which the righty was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) while recording only three outs.

"Velocity was still there, the slider was a lot better, he was around the zone," Thomson said. "I thought he was really good today."

If Harper keeps swinging the bat like he did on Saturday, it'll certainly help. Though his home run, which left the bat at 108.3 mph and traveled a projected 404 feet, was obviously the highlight, Harper's other three trips to the plate may have been just as encouraging.

In the first inning, Harper fouled off three straight 1-2 offerings before laying off three consecutive balls to draw a walk.

"Chasing pitches out of the zone has been big for me, not taking my walks," said Harper, who entered Saturday hitting just .149 in September with 26 strikeouts and nine walks. "You guys know when I'm locked in, I'm probably at my best. So I'm just trying to understand: Let the pitchers come to me and throw the ball over the plate. And when they don't, take my walks."

Though Harper was retired in his other two plate appearances, he scorched the ball in each -- hitting a 105.3 mph groundout in the fourth and a 104.7 mph flyout in the eighth.

"He had great at-bats today. He looked like he was balanced and on-time and barrelling balls up," Thomson said. "Back to an aggressive swing. I thought his at-bats were completely different today than they have been the last couple weeks."

Thomson had a similar assessment on Domínguez, who cruised through a scoreless seventh inning. He had one strikeout and the only baserunner he allowed came on an infield single by Michael Harris II.

Domínguez threw 11 of his 15 pitches for strikes, while his four-seamer averaged 98.6 mph -- up from his overall season average of 97.5. It was a far cry from his previous two outings in which the righty was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) while recording only three outs.

"Velocity was still there, the slider was a lot better, he was around the zone," Thomson said. "I thought he was really good today."

A return to form from two of their key pieces would certainly go a long way toward helping the Phillies end their postseason drought. That push continues Sunday when they play their final home game of the regular season before hitting the road to face the Cubs for three games and the fifth-place Nationals for four. The Phils finish the season in Houston, though the Astros will likely have wrapped up the AL's No. 1 seed by that point.

As for the Brewers, they wrap up their series in Cincinnati on Sunday, then return to Milwaukee to finish the season with a nine-game homestand against the Cardinals (two games), Marlins (four) and D-backs (three).

None of that will matter, though, if the Phillies take care of their own business -- and that starts with clinching a series win over the postseason-bound Braves on Sunday.

"They're a really good team, so to be able to go out there with the possibility to win a series against them tomorrow is huge for us," Harper said. "I think if we can do that, take that off-day Monday and get into next week, take it one day at a time, it'll be really good for us. So hopefully go out there and get a 'W' tomorrow."