Phillies news and rumors 9/6: Bryce Harper’s new look doesn’t change luck

Bryce Harper shaved his beard before Tuesday night’s game. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

You think Bryce Harper is superstitious? Well, he certainly appears to be at least a little stitious.

As ballplayers are known to do, Harper changed up his look in an apparent attempt to change his luck. Hitless in his previous 16 at-bats entering Tuesday, he went clean-shaven before the Phillies matchup against the Padres — a bit of a stunning change from his typical bearded look.

Unfortunately for the two-time National League MVP, the shift in appearance didn’t immediately fix his results at the plate. Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk on Tuesday night as the Padres shut out the Philadelphia, 8-0, at Petco Park.

While 30-year-old superstar posted a red-hot August with a 1.236 OPS and 10 home runs, September has not treated Harper as kindly. He has not recorded a hit in the first five games of the month, while the Phillies’ (76-62) lead for the top spot in the NL wild-card standings has slipped to just 1.5 games over the surging Chicago Cubs.

Harper and the Phillies are still in control, however, with plenty of time to grab that first wild-card spot. No matter how they look, securing home field for a best-of-three first-round playoff series would be a major advantage for Philadelphia. And if the clean-shaven luck comes around soon, the team should be in a position to host it at Citizens Bank Park.

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