After the first two games of his rehab stint, Bryce Harper's 2 for 4 with a double and a home run in his first two games for the Potomac Nationals, a team he skipped on his way up through the Nats' system the first time around. According to a reports from both the Bowie Baysox and now the Washington Post's James Wagner, the Washington Nationals' 20-year-old outfielder's rehab stint will continue tonight with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators who are in Maryland tonight to take on the Baysox, the Baltimore Orioles' Double-A affiliate. "This gives Harper the chance to see higher level pitching ahead of his expected return the Nationals early next week," the WaPost's Mr. Wagner writes. Last night in the P-Nats' home, Harper hit what was described as a "towering" home run to right then fouled a ball off his foot. Exciting stuff. Barring any setbacks or hiccups in his rehab, the Nationals are hoping Harper can rejoin the major league team next week when they take on the Milwaukee Brewers.
First the Nationals have one more with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Stephen Strasburg vs the D-Backs and unbeaten lefty Patrick Corbin. That's at 4:05 pm EDT this afternoon. Until then, links and lots of them, a whole bunch of them using the word "towering" to describe Harper's home run... which you can see below... RIGHT NOW!!!!:
• THE BIG STORY!!!:
• "Then, in the 3rd frame, the baby-faced basher wearing a thick beard, smashed a solo home run out to right field that bounced high in the air off the second barrier." - "Harper Homers in P-Nats' 6-5 Come From Behind Win vs. Pelicans" - Potomac Nationals News
• VIDEO: via Chase Hughes, CSNWashington.com:
• NATS BEAT:
• "[Bryce] Harper went 1 for 3 with a strikeout, a lineout to the outfield and a soaring solo home run to right before a crowd of more than 5,000 at Pfitzner Stadium." - "Bryce Harper homers in second game of rehab at Potomac" - James Wagner, Washington Post
• "Bryce Harper hit a long home run to right field in his second rehab game with Single-A Potomac on Wednesday night, but also fouled a ball off his right foot." - "Bryce Harper homers, fouls ball off right foot in rehab game" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "General manager Mike Rizzo said they will take the [Bryce] Harper rehab games one at a time and be very cautious." - "Updates on Harper, Ramos, Garcia and Zimmerman" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "[Bryce] Harper was the team’s designated hitter due to rainy conditions at Pfitzner stadium in a last minute move. He was originally slotted to play in left field." - "Harper homers in second rehab game" - Chase Hughes, NatsInsider.com
• "Bryce Harper didn't get to test his left knee in the outfield or on the bases during his second rehab game at Class A Advanced Potomac on Wednesday night." - "Bryce Harper homers in rehab start for Potomac" - Andrew Simon, nationals.com: News
• "Bryce Harper will ramp up his rehab from left knee bursitis on Thursday by moving his rehab assignment to Class AA Harrisburg, which plays Thursday night in Bowie against the Baysox." - "Bryce Harper to continue rehab with Harrisburg Senators, who play in Bowie on Thursday" - James Wagner, Washington Post
• "The NL West-leading Diamondbacks have lost three straight, including the first two games of their current 10-game road trip." - "Diamondbacks beaten by Zimmermann, Nationals 3-2" - Harvey Valentine, WTOP.com
• "'The game hasn't changed since I was a little kid,' [Anthony] Rendon said. 'The strike zone, the plate's the same size. The bases probably got a little longer, but that's pretty much it.'" - "Rendon becoming key to Nationals' lineup" - Mark Zuckerman, Comcast SportsNet Washington
• "Jordan Zimmermann followed a first-inning debacle with six masterful frames to become the first National League pitcher to reach 11 wins." - "Anthony Rendon, Jordan Zimmermann power Nationals past Diamondbacks, 3-2" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• "[Tyler Moore] said it was a relief to produce so quickly after returning, helping perhaps to alleviate some of the pressure he was putting on himself in his first MLB stint this season." - "Tyler Moore homers in first game back from Triple-A" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• "Nationals youngsters Anthony Rendon and Tyler Moore helped to ignite the offense. Rendon had three hits and Moore smacked the game-tying solo shot..." - "Johnson, Zimmerman on 3-2 victory over D-backs (with Harper update)" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "Both products of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin are two of the best young pitchers in baseball, and they're proving it so far this season." - "Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals - June 27, 2013" - Tyler Emerick, MLB.com Preview
• "Thing is, while [Tyler] Moore excelled during last year’s 29-game stint in Syracuse, batting .307 with nine home runs, the outfielder’s 12-game stretch this month wasn’t so promising." - "Tyler Moore homers in first start since call-up from Class AAA" - Brandon Parker, Washington Post
• "[Wilson] Ramos is aiming to be back on July 4 as the Nats take on the Brewers. He has been out since May 15 after aggravating his strained left hamstring in a game against the Dodgers." - "Nats injury updates: Ramos, Garcia close" - Chase Hughes, Comcast SportsNet Washington
• "[Jordan] Zimmermann picked up his 11th win last night, tied for most in the majors. His ERA actually rose from 2.26 to 2.28 after the right-hander allowed two runs over seven innings last night..." - "Nationals Pastime: On Zimmermann, Rendon, Espinosa and Owings" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "The Nationals could use a starting pitcher for extra depth (and a possible replacement for Dan Haren), along with a right-handed bat good enough to start occasionally." - "Mike Rizzo says he’ll let the Nationals get healthy before making trades" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post
• "The Nationals have sorely missed [Wilson] Ramos, who is serving his second stint on the disabled list after aggravating the left hamstring injury that caused him to miss 14 games in April." -"Ramos could be back with Nats by July 4" - Tom Schad, nationals.com: News
• "Jordan Zimmermann allowed two runs in the top of the first, then put up six consecutive zeroes in his latest dominant start at home." - "Instant analysis: Nats 3, D'backs 2" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "After the first inning, [Jordan] Zimmermann threw 28 pitches and knew he had to get some quick outs. He went on to dominate the D-backs after first, allowing one hit and striking out three over the next six innings." - "Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals - June 26, 2013" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com WSH Recap
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama):
Genuine peace is based on inner peace, because you cannot build peace on the basis of anger.
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) June 18, 2013
• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:
•"'I think [Jordan] Zimmermann probably doesn't get the credit he deserves,' [Miguel] Montero said. 'I really think he’s nasty.'" - "Arizona Diamondbacks come up short against Washington Nationals" - Nick Piecoro, AZCentral.com
• "After taking down the Diamondbacks in two straight games, we have another changing of the guard with our Eye on Baseball Heavyweight Championship." - "New EOB Heavyweight Champion: Washington Nationals" - Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com
• "Adam LaRoche And His Son Would Like To Show You Their Very Large Guns" - Tom Ley, Deadspin
• NATS MINORS:
• "Right-hander Taylor Jordan is having the best year of his professional career and will represent the Nationals at the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game on July 14." - "Prospect Taylor Jordan to represent Nationals at Futures Game" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "Scouting Report and Footage: Blake Treinen, Washington Nationals" - Ryan Kelley, Baseball News Hound
• Class-A Hagerstown: Matt Purke Highlights -
• Double-A Harrisburg: "Jimmy Van Ostrand and Brian Goodwin each blasted three-run homers, and Taylor Hill pitched seven strong innings in his Double-A debut..." - "Van Ostrand and Goodwin Go Yard, Hill Dazzles in AA Debut" - Marshall Kelner, Harrisburg Senators News
• "Probable starter for Harrisburg: RHP Rob Gilliam (2-2, 5.40 ERA). The 25-year-old’s seventh start for the Sens was pushed back a day with the arrival of RHP Taylor Hill..." - "First-place Senators seeking fourth straight win tonight in series opener with Baysox" - Dave Sottile, PennLive.com
• Triple-A Syracuse: "The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, split a doubleheader with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Wednesday." - "Owings leads Chiefs to doubleheader split" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• "Last Night In Woodbridge" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com
• NATSTOWN:
• "In no uncertain terms, Dan Haren has been an unmitigated flop for the Nationals this season." - "Nationals Buzz: Dave Nichols: Fifth spot in rotation a headache for Nationals" - Dave Nichols, MASNSports.com
• "Bryce Harper homers in second rehab start at Potomac" - Nats Enquirer
• "Anthony Rendon was the first hitter to contribute to digging Zimmermann out of his early 2-0 hole by hitting a single and scoring a run in the bottom of the first." - "Rendon, Zimmermann Power Nats To Series-Winning Triumph Over Dbacks" - Erin Flynn, The Nats Blog
• "Video: Racing presidents prancersize to the finish line" - Presidents Race Fan, Let Teddy Win!
• "Since no one is writing about Anthony Rendon I figure I will to..." -"Rendon!" - "Rendon!" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "Washington Nationals Records by Opponent 2005 to 2013" - Mark Hornbaker, D.C. Baseball History
• "The stoic right-hander threw another gem, leading the Washington Nationals to their fifth win in seven games, a 3-2 decision over the Arizona Diamondbacks..." - "Washington Nationals Game 77 Review: Zimmermann dominates again in win over Arizona" - Dave Nichols, District Sports Page
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Mets: "For a night, Jupiter, Mars and the Mets aligned, allowing Shaun Marcum to receive credit for an honest night’s work." - "Shaun Marcum picks up his first win in the New York Mets’ 3-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox Wednesday at U.S. Cellular Field" - Mike Puma, NYPOST.com
• Phillies: "Delmon Young had one extra-base hit in the previous 19 days." - "Phillies Notebook: Delmon Young gets offensive" - Ryan Lawrence, Philadelphia Daily News
• Marlins: "All of a sudden, big early deficits don’t seem so insurmountable for the Marlins anymore." - "Another comeback for Miami Marlins as they turn back Twins 5-3" - Manny Navarro, MiamiHerald.com
• Braves: "When the Braves and Mike Minor fell behind early against the Royals on Wednesday, it was shaping up as yet another night of the traveling blues for the squad from Georgia." - "Braves rally to tie, then lose in 10 innings" - David O'Brien, www.ajc.com