Washington Nationals News: Bryce Harper scratched with illness
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily discusses Bryce Harper being scratched from last night’s lineup and more reaction to the Washington Nationals’ moves (or lack thereof) before the trade deadline.
Good morning DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jamal Collier discusses Bryce Harper not being in last night’s lineup against the Diamondbacks. As Collier writes, Harper was a late scratch due to illness.
More from District on Deck
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
- A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
- Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
According to Collier, the Nationals decided to remove Harper from the lineup an hour before the game. The right fielder is the latest Nationals player to miss time due to illness, following a string of players who have been sick in recent days.
Fortunately for the Nationals, they were able to take care of the Diamondbacks without Harper’s bat in the lineup, blasting Arizona, 10-4.
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Scott Allen discusses the various reactions that the baseball world had to the Nationals’ trade deadline decisions. As Allen writes, some pundits, such as former Nats GM Jim Bowden, praised the Nationals for addressing their biggest need by trading for Mark Melancon. Others, such as ESPN’s Buster Olney, said the team needed to do more.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Harper scratched with illness
PHOENIX — Bryce Harper was scratched from the Nationals’ starting lineup with an illness an hour before Tuesday night’s game against the D-backs at Chase Field.
A few Nationals players have been sick at various points during the past few weeks, including Anthony Rendon, Stephen Drew and Sammy Solis. Harper appears to be the latest. Read full article here.
ESPN analyst: Nats did a ‘terrible job’ at trade deadline
(Scott Allen, Washington Post)
The Nationals got their trade deadline shopping out of the way early on when they acquired Pirates closer Mark Melancon on Saturday afternoon. While Washington addressed its biggest need by finding a replacement for ineffective closer Jonathan Papelbon and didn’t have to trade one of the organization’s most coveted prospects to do so, a couple of ESPN analysts disagreed about whether the Nationals did enough to bolster their bullpen for the stretch run.
“I absolutely believe that, for what they gave up to solve the ninth inning, I’m going to put them as winners,” ESPN analyst and former Nationals GMJim Bowden said on Monday’s edition of Baseball Tonight. “Melancon’s ERA is what, [1.48]? That’s not bad last time I checked. He converted how many saves? To me, it’s not [Aroldis] Chapman, it’s not [Andrew] Miller, and certainly you would prefer to do that, [but] they didn’t want to pay the price of Lucas Giolito, who profiles to be a number one starter down the road… Read full article here.