It’s been a tough summer for Bryce Harper. Since finding success in his first few weeks after being called up from the minor leagues, Harper’s season has taken a steady downward path, even as the Nationals—the past week’s foibles aside—have cemented their place as Major League Baseball’s best team.

But perhaps that’s all about to change!

During the Nats’ summer tear, Harper, who made a name for himself in the minors with his tempestuous antics and giving interviews like the one earlier this year in GQ in which he said he swings the bat so hard, that hitting without his batting gloves “hurts like a dick.”

You know what else hurts like a dick? Prolonged hitting slumps.

Harper was behaving himself for a while—saying how much he loved D.C.—but in recent weeks, the Post reports, Nice-Guy Bryce has faded. Bryce Harper Jerk Watch is back! Here’s the lede in the Post’s Nationals Journal blog this morning:

The frustration in Bryce Harper had been simmering for some weeks, emerging during the growing pains of his tough second half of the season. A strikeout here resulted in a smashed bat on home plate. Another strikeout there yielded the same result. A double switch in Sunday’s game and the rookie, according to Nationals Manager Davey Johnson, was smashing helmets in the runway near the dugout in Philadelphia.

The Nationals broke a five-game losing streak last night with an 8-4 victory over the Miami Marlins. And Harper’s bat came back to life, too, smashing two home runs in the 19-year-old outfielder’s first multi-homer game.

You’d think he’d be pleased. But in the top of the ninth inning, Harper grounded out to first. The throw was close, but it didn’t go his way, and in frustration, he yanked off his helmet and slammed it on the base path. Boom. Ejected.

Yeah, yeah. Some of you will say we shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior. Then again, Harper starts acting like a jerk again, and suddenly the Nationals break out of their funk. Smash everything, Bryce Harper.