• AFL: Bryce Harper has been sent here to destroy you. The 19-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder is tearing up the Arizona Fall League. Harper homered this afternoon in the Scottsdale Scorpions' 10-6 win over the Surprise Saguaros. The home run was Harper's fifth in the last six games and sixth in his last ten. Over the last ten games, the Nats' 2010 no.1 overall pick has 18 hits in 48 AB's, three doubles, a triple, six HR's, 23 RBI's and three stolen bases. In his second go-round in the AFL, which is known as a hitter-friendly "finishing school" for the game's top prospects, the top prospect in Washington's organization now has a .323/.400/677 slash after 17 games and 65 at bats.
Harper and 22-year-old Nats' backstop prospect Derek Norris are scheduled to participate in the AFL's Rising Stars game this Saturday, which will be aired live at 8:05 EDT on the MLB Network. The people running the Arizona Fall League's official twitter account (@MLBAZFallLeague) are impressed with what they're seeing. "#Nationals OF Bryce Harper: .522 (12-for-23) with 1 double, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB in his last six games." Harper was the only Nats' prospect to start Thursday's game. Zach Walters entered the game as a defensive replacement in the third and he went 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
• Read Davey Johnson's comments from an interview on 106.7 The FAN that have folks in NatsTown thinking Bryce Harper can't be held down for long.
• Detwiler In Taiwan: Ross Detwiler was up in the zone and got knocked around a little bit in 3.2 innings pitched Thursday afternoon in the Taiwan All-Star Series. The 25-year-old left-handed Washington Nationals' '07 1st Round pick started for the team of MLB players touring Taiwan to play a five-game exhibition series against the Chinese Taipei national team. Detwiler pitched out of trouble in the first three innings, but was lifted with two down in the fourth after having surrendered back-to-back one-out doubles and the first run the Chinese Taipei team had scored so far in the series. The MLB team would go on to win the second-straight game of the series 5-3.
• Detwiler's line: (via @NationalsPR): LHP Ross Detwiler's line for today's start vs. Taiwan All-Stars: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO (2.45 ERA).
There's three-games to go this weekend, one more in Taichung, Taiwan's Intercontinental Stadium Friday night, then two more at Chengcing Lake Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan Saturday at 5:00 pm EDT and Sunday at 9:00.