Bryce Harper’s struggles at the plate for Phillies stems from the types of pitches he’s facing

CLEVELAND — When the Phillies slid Kyle Schwarber down in the order a few weeks ago to bat behind Bryce Harper, the idea was to force teams to throw Harper more strikes.

“It’s actually gotten worse,” Harper said Saturday. “Which is crazy.”

Indeed, Harper has seen the lowest percentage of pitches in the strike zone — 42.9% through Friday night — of 282 major-league hitters with at least 50 plate appearances this season. By contrast, leadoff-hitting Bryson Stott leads Phillies regulars with 55.4% of pitches in the zone.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper is ‘frustrated on a bigger level’ by his start, but knows a breakout is coming

And when Harper does get a pitch over the plate, it’s often a breaking ball. Entering the weekend, he faced more curveballs — by total pitches (107) and percentage (16.4%) — than any hitter with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title.

Here’s the thing: It’s working. The combination of staying out of the strike zone and coming in with mostly curveballs and sliders has diminished Harper’s production. Through Friday, he was batting .229 and slugging .403.

“It’s a hard place to be,” Harper told The Inquirer before banging a double and two-run homer — both on fastballs, both in the strike zone — in a 7-1 victory over the Guardians. “I’ve never hit .230 or whatever I am, .220, whatever it is. Wanting to get out of that, there’s some give and take, understanding I’m getting on base and being productive in that way, but still wanting your hits, too.”

The Guardians actually challenged Harper in the first inning Friday night. After the first two batters reached base, he laid off a first-pitch sweeper in the dirt before getting three consecutive heaters in the zone from righty Gavin Williams. Harper missed the first, foul-tipped the second, and fouled off the third before grounding out on a curveball.

In his next three at-bats, the Guardians stayed off the plate. Williams struck him out on a low-and-away curveball in the third inning and an up-and-away curve in the fifth. He whiffed on a down-and-in sweeper from reliever Matt Festa in the eighth inning.

If it’s surprising that teams aren’t pitching to Harper, it’s only because Schwarber was tied for the National League lead with 12 homers through Friday. He’s a formidable threat. It’s doubtful teams want to put anyone on base in front of him.

But they aren’t eager to attack Harper, either.

» READ MORE: Mentor, mood-setter, bowling team manager: The Garrett Stubbs Experience is a hit at Lehigh Valley

“Teams pick their spots, obviously,” Harper said. “When we go into series, we circle guys’ names. It happens that way.”

It’s been that way for Harper for, well, all his life. In 2016, he faced 83 pitches in a four-game series at Wrigley Field; only 18 were in the strike zone. Then-Cubs manager Joe Maddon walked Harper 13 times in 19 plate appearances.

Go back even further. Harper recalled showing up to youth tournaments where opposing coaches talked about pitching around him.

“I was 10-11 years old, and a coach would try to play mind games of like, ‘Hey, we’re not going to pitch to you today.’ Whack. They’d throw a pitch right down the middle and freeze me a little bit, right?” Harper said. “I never want that feeling. I always want to be prepared to hit.

“I think to myself, ‘Hit, hit, hit … take.’ I never want to think like, ‘Take, take, take … hit!’ I always want to be on the offensive of, ‘Hey, let’s hit, let’s hit,’ but in my zone. I haven’t controlled my zone very well. I mean, I have, but not to the extent that I want. I’m still chasing stuff outside the zone.

“That’s one thing where [Barry] Bonds was so good. He hit the mistakes and let the other ones go.”

The Phillies continue to see signs of Harper coming out of it. Manager Rob Thomson thought it might have happened on this road trip after Harper hit an opposite-field homer last Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.

Instead, Harper went 3-for-12 in three games against the Rays before an 0-for-4, three-strikeout game in the series opener in Cleveland.

» READ MORE: Need a rest? J.T. Realmuto will never admit it, even as his offense dips. But his value goes beyond his bat.

“He goes a couple of games where I think, ‘OK, he’s really coming out of this thing. He’s going to get hot,’” Thomson said. “And then, he has a couple games where he gets out of the zone. I know he’s very frustrated with himself right now. He’s just got to get really consistent in the zone, really disciplined, and when he does, he’s going to be fine.”

But until then, Harper’s going to get more curveballs. And not many strikes.

“Yeah,” Thomson said. “That’s what I would do.”

Said Harper: “I just want to be good for my team, and right now, it’s a little tough for me. Because you see other guys getting fed or whatever it is. I can’t really worry about that, right?

“I still believe it’ll come. I’ve just got to try to hone inasmuch as possible and hit the mistakes.”

With the Phillies in the midst of a stretch of 13 out of 15 games against righty starters, including six in a row, utility infielder Edmundo Sosa got a rare start at third base. Alec Bohm was out of the lineup for only the third time in 39 games. … Zack Wheeler (3-1, 3.35 ERA) is scheduled to start on Sunday Night Baseball at 7:10 p.m. against Guardians righty Luis Ortiz (2-3, 5.30).