Bryce Harper penciled in at DH for the fifth straight game as the Phillies take on the Cardinals

Jalen Hurts is on the cover of the September issue of Sports Illustrated, and there’s a guy in the Phillies dugout who knows a thing or two about SI covers.

Hurts recently said he had Bryce Harper’s Sports Illustrated cover on the wall of his childhood bedroom. A baseball player in high school, Hurts said, “when I had baseball dreams, [Harper] was a guy I always followed.”

“We talked about that when I met him for the first time and talked to him for the first time, so pretty cool,” Harper said Saturday.

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Hurts, 25, and Harper, 30, are only five years apart, but Harper’s “Baseball’s Chosen One” cover debuted in April 2009, when Hurts was 10. Harper made his major league debut in 2012, when Hurts was 13.

“He’s a tremendous athlete. Incredible person as well. And I don’t think the Eagles would want anybody else leading that team over there,” Harper said. “He’s just such a leader. He has been ever since he was in college, from Alabama to Oklahoma.”

Harper was the DH spot again for Game 2 of the series against the Cardinals on Saturday, with Jake Cave starting at first base. This will mark the fifth straight game since Harper has played in the field because of back tightness, though it’s been a day-to-day decision.

“I’m progressing well,” Harper said. “I just didn’t want to take a backward step and not be able to play this coming week. So it’s getting better.”

The main concern with playing in the field is the strain that comes from standing for a long period of time, Harper said. But his hitting hasn’t suffered. He’s had two hits in each of the past four games since making the switch to DH, including three home runs and a triple.

Cave has been getting more innings at first base with Harper off the field. Cave is primarily an outfielder, with this season marking the first time he’s played first base in the majors. Cave is 0-for-7 over the past four games.

“I know [Cave] didn’t get any hits last night, but he’s been swinging the bat pretty good,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He just swung early in the count last night, which is kind of atypical for him. He’s been swinging the bat well, and he’s played really good first base for a guy who’s never played there before.”

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The bottom half of the Phillies lineup combined for five hits and three RBIs in Friday’s series-opening win over the Cardinals, with Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, and Garrett Stubbs leading the charge with a double apiece.

Marsh is carrying an eight-game hitting streak into Saturday, tied for the longest of his career. This streak dates back to Aug. 2, before he went on the injured list on Aug. 6 with a left knee contusion. After being reinstated on Aug. 20, Marsh has picked up where he left off.

“[Marsh is] swinging at good pitches, so he’s not chasing, and he’s using the entire field,” Thomson said. “And that’s usually [what causes] every hitter’s success, but that’s what he’s doing right now.”

This season, Marsh has a strikeout rate of 29.5%, which is in the 12th percentile of MLB. But over the nine games he’s played in August, Marsh is batting .400 and has only struck out five times.

Ranger Suárez, who was placed on the injured list on Aug. 19 (retroactive to Aug. 16) with a hamstring strain, threw a bullpen session on Friday that Thomson said went “very well.” Suárez participated in pitcher’s fielding practice Saturday in the outfield and plans to throw batting practice on Monday.

“We’re on target,” Thomson said.