Struggling, frustrated Bryce Harper to get the day off

Bryce Harper has been fighting it. Since the All-Star break he’s hitting .176 with two homers, 26 strikeouts and 15 walks in 116 plate appearances. He’s also getting frustrated, as Adam Kilgore reports, and will be getting a day off to clear his head:

In the Nationals’ 4-3 victory over the Astros on Wednesday, Harper extended his second-half skid by going 0 for 3 with two walks. He twice argued with home plate umpire Angel Hernandez after controversial calls. In the ninth inning, Harper made an ill-advised throw, trying in vain to throw out the tying run at third base while the winning run moved into scoring position. That convinced Johnson that Harper required a break.

To be fair, no one’s arguments with Angel Hernandez should form the basis of any negative judgment given that Hernandez is arguably the most awful umpire around. The called strike three against Harper in the fourth inning was clearly a ball. Both strike two and strike three during his sixth inning strikeout were balls too. Angel’s gonna Angel. It’s a clown strike zone, bro.

But like dog poop in a public park, you gotta learn how to deal with the Angel Hernandezs of the world, and Harper is clearly frustrated at the moment. A day off could do him some good.