Washington Nationals: AFL/Winter League Update - Bryce Harper Game Eight.

AFL Update: With two triples, two K's and 2 RBI's in his seventh AFL outing this past Wednesday, Nats' 2010 no.1 overall pick Bryce Harper is now hitting .357 (10 for 28) with a .419 OBP, .679 SLG, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 3 walks and 10 K's for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Harper plays his eighth game this afternoon at 12:35 pm MST (2:35 pm EST in D.C.) when the Nationals' prospects on the Scorpions' roster take on the Surprise Rafters on the road in Surprise, Arizona. 

'04 7th Round pick Derek Norris, the top catching prospect in the Nats' system (who's also probably the top bat --behind Harper? -- with the best eye in the organization), hit his third AFL HR in Wednesday's game while Harper was tripling, and also added his 5th double with 3 RBI's in the game and 19 total in 14 AFL starts, but he hasn't played since then. '10 2nd Round pick, LHP Sammy Solis made his 5th (and probably best) start this Fall on Wednesday, earning his first AFL W for 5.0 innings of work in which he gave up just 2 hits (1 HR) and 1 ER while walking 1 and striking out 2, throwing 58 pitches, 36 for strikes in what ends up an 11-1 Scottsdale win. 

'07 1st Round pick Michael Burgess, who sat Wednesday while Harper got the start in right, has played in each of the last two games, going 1 for 4 with a 2 RBI triple on Thursday in a 5-1 win over Phoenix and going 0 for 1 with a walk and a K in last night's 6-4 win over Peoria, Arizona's second-favorite team, the Saguaros. '06 18th Round pick Adam Carr, a 26-year-old right-hander out of Felton, California, earned his first save Thursday, retiring the Saguaros in order on 15 pitches in the bottom of the ninth to preserve Scottsdale's two-run lead. '08 19th Round pick Stephen Lombardozzi lifted his AFL average to .273 (.380 OBP, .424 SLG) with his 1 for 4 game on Thursday, adding his 4th RBI, and the 22-year-old infielder now has 6 doubles, 2 triples and 9 walks in 66 at bats over 17 games in which he's scored 14 runs. 

'06 12th Round pick, 25-year-old Cole Kimball pitched a scoreless frame on Thursday, walking one and striking out one batter to give him 14 K's and 2 BB in 10 games and 11.0 IP this Fall in which he's surrendered just 8 hits and 1 ER. '06 41st Round pick RHP Brad Peacock hasn't pitched in five days since he gave up 3 hits and 2 ER in a Nov. 8th outing which left the 22-year-old pitcher with 3 walks, 9 hits, 1 HR and 6 ER allowed in 8 games and 11.0 IP in which he's struck out 16 batters.

• Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico Update:

Nats' infielder Danny Espinosa started at short last night in a 5-2 Leones de Ponce win over the Indios de Mayaguez in which the 23-year-old '08 3rd Round pick was 1 for 5 with a double and 3 K's. Espinosa's fellow Nats' prospect and prospective future infield partner 22-year-old first baseman Chris Marrero was 1 for 4 with an RBI single, and the '06 1st Round pick is now hitting .346 (18 for 52) with a .390 OBP, .423 SLG, 4 doubles, 13 RBI's, 5 walks and 1 SB in 13 games for Ponce. Espinosa's put up a .263/.306/.386 slash line in 13 games and 57 at bats in which he's hit 5 doubles and 1 triple with 6 stolen bases, 4 walks and 18 K's.

• Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional Update:

Roger Bernadina was 0 for 5 last night in the Navegantes del Magallanes' 6-3 extra-inning-win over the Tiburones de La Guaira. Bernadina's now 5 for 24 (.208) with 1 double and 1 RBI in 7 games in the Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional. Bernie's fellow Nat Jesus Flores hasn't played in a week, but the 26-year-old catcher has appeared in 4 games thus far in which he's 4 for 15 (.267 AVG) with a double and 2 RBI's for the Navegantes. 

AFL Today: Bryce Harper's eighth AFL game starts at 2:35 pm EST. Updates will be posted in the comments when possible and a post game report will follow this evening. If you want live updates via Twitter. Check out Federal Baseball's friends Mike "Hendo" Henderson from Nats Daily News on Twitter (@NatsDailyNews) and Wigi Tozzi from the Planetary Nats Blog (@wigi49) both of whom are in Arizona for today's game.