Bryce Harper Calls Phillies' Recent Play 'Unacceptable' amid Rumored Team Meeting

The Philadelphia Phillies are still sitting first in the National League East, but their recent play prompted a team meeting, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Two-time MVP Bryce Harper didn't mince words when addressing the team's recent form.

"The way we've been playing, obviously, has been unacceptable," he said. "But we just have to keep going. Everybody in here knows what to do and how to do their job. If you're not walking in here every day ready to do your job, you probably shouldn't be here."

Philly is 8-16 since the All-Star break. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, that hasn't hurt the Phillies too much in the standings. They're six games up on Atlanta and have an eight-game cushion on New York in third.

Still, the team's record early into the second half isn't ideal given the lofty ambitions it will have in the postseason.

Following the reported team meeting, the Phillies earned a 9-5 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. A fourth-inning grand slam by Kyle Schwarber erased a three-run deficit and they held on from there.

Schwarber thought there was "more energy" inside Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, which the players fed off.

"I feel like our guys are doing a really good job of weathering whatever has happened the last couple weeks," he said, per Gelb. "We haven't been playing our best baseball. We have a really good group of guys in this clubhouse. We got the right guys to get through this and come out better for it."

Philadelphia opens a four-game set against the Washington Nationals on Thursday and then has a three-game series with the Braves after that.

For now, the vibes are much different inside the Phillies' clubhouse. If they unexpectedly stumble against a pair of NL East foes, then another closed-door meeting might be in order.