Phillies observations: Bryce Harper’s brace vs. the pitch clock, Trea Turner’s slump, Andrew Painter update, and more

LOS ANGELES — Bryce Harper stood at first base in the ninth inning Wednesday at Dodger Stadium after lining a two-out single to left field and grabbed a cumbersome elbow brace from coach Paco Figueroa.

If only he had time to put it on.

The pitch clock doesn’t wait for anyone, not even a two-time National League MVP who this week capped the fastest recorded return from Tommy John elbow surgery. The Phillies think it should. Or the umpires should have discretion to pause the clock for special circumstances.

» READ MORE: What’s the optimal Phillies batting order with Bryce Harper back?

Because although Nick Castellanos used his one timeout before his at-bat, Harper was unable to secure the brace in the 30 seconds allotted after the ball is thrown back to the infield on a base hit. He flipped it back to Figueroa and ran the bases, eventually scoring the tying run, without the extra protection for his reconstructed elbow ligament.

“That scared me a little bit,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Really, they should amend the rule to a certain degree for a superstar, anybody, that has an issue with their guards or whatever, just give them extra time. Have a feel for it, so they’re not going to injure themselves. You won’t waste a minute so you can keep a superstar in the game?”

Harper isn’t holding his breath.

“We talked all the way up to Mr. [Rob] Manfred, and they said we wouldn’t have more time to do that,” Harper said, referring to the commissioner. “Pace of play thing, of course. It’s going to be tough. I usually have only about, what, 22 seconds to get it on. Sometimes it gets jammed or caught. I hope maybe some umpires have some feel about it. Some umpires usually do. I appreciate that out of them. We’ll see.”

Despite being cleared to slide headfirst this week by his surgeon, the final step in his return to game action, Harper plans to wear the brace while running the bases whenever possible. It resembles the hardware worn by some NFL linemen, such as J.J. Watt.

A few other off-day observations as the 15-17 Phillies return home for a weekend series against the Red Sox:

» READ MORE: Phillies’ need for starting pitching could bring Ranger Suárez back sooner than expected

The Phillies allowed a double-digit run total in each of the three games against the Dodgers — 36 runs in all — and almost no one was immune. All but two of the 11 pitchers who appeared in the series were charged with at least one run.

It’s only a mild exaggeration that infielder Kody Clemens, not quite a chip off his seven-time Cy Young-winning dad’s block, was the Phillies’ best pitcher.

“We’ve got to kind of clean it up a little bit,” Thomson said. “No free passes. No extra bases. We’ve got to play defense behind the guys, too. It’s all the total package.”

The biggest issue is the back of the rotation, specifically Taijuan Walker and Bailey Falter, who have 6.91 and 5.01 ERAs, respectively. The Phillies maintain that Walker isn’t still dealing with the forearm tightness that knocked him from his second-to-last start. But neither the team nor Walker can explain his skyrocketing 13.2% walk rate, either.

And with Thomson concerned about temp-starter Matt Strahm’s mounting innings total, the Phillies are considering bringing back lefty Ranger Suárez one start sooner than initially planned from a minor league assignment after a spring-training elbow strain.

Maybe Ranger will come to the rotation’s rescue.

» READ MORE: Will the Phillies’ Andrew Painter be the next phenom in 2023?

Andrew Painter continues to play catch off flat ground from at least 90 feet on almost a daily basis in Clearwater, Fla., and “hasn’t had any issues,” according to agent Scott Boras, in his recovery from a torn ligament in his throwing elbow in spring training.

The Phillies continue to believe Painter will make his major league debut this year. If so, the 20-year-old phenom — and preseason top pitching prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America — could be an X factor for the pitching staff after the All-Star break.

But the team also isn’t inclined to accelerate Painter’s throwing progression. Boras is the leading advocate for a deliberate pace. He rattles off a list of pitchers — “Felix Hernandez, [Madison] Bumgarner, Kerry Wood, Fernando Valenzuela, Bret Saberhagen, [Dwight] Gooden” — who had success at a tender age in the majors but were unable to sustain it into their 30s.

“I hope [Painter] comes back when he’s 22 and his body’s developed,” Boras said, chuckling. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s got a great arm, great stuff. It’s hard when you’re that good. There’s a lot of pitchers that can pitch in the big leagues, but their bodies have not arrived as fast as their arm has.”

» READ MORE: The two greatest Phillies shortstops are happy to welcome Trea Turner to the family: ‘We got the right guy’

When the week began, Trea Turner was batting .260/.300/.374 with only eight extra-base hits and 32 strikeouts in 130 plate appearances.

Take it from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: It’ll get better.

Turner started slowly last season in Los Angeles. Through May 9, he batted .250/.304/.346 with seven extra-base hits and 24 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances. But he rallied to not only make the All-Star team but also flirt with 200 hits (194), nearly bat .300 (.298), and pile up 39 doubles, 21 homers, and 27 steals in 30 attempts.

“He’s a guy that’s great because he doesn’t overthink things,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t let success or struggles affect his day-to-day work. The talent’s going to show out. The baseball card — the on-base, the slug, the OPS, the average — will be in line at the end of the season. That’s an easy bet.”

Roberts couldn’t recall exactly what kick-started Turner’s turnaround last year. But he said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was one at-bat.

Maybe something like his 420-foot homer that landed on a net in Dodger Stadium’s straightaway center field Tuesday night?

The Phillies think so. Regardless, Turner remains low on their list of concerns.