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Count me among those surprised that as hard as Bryce Harper hit the right field fence in Dodger Stadium earlier this week, he was able to get back into the lineup. According to reports today, there are some lingering effects. Harper's out of the lineup tonight with what reporters on the scene in San Diego say is a sore left knee:
Bryce Harper will miss today and likely tomorrow with a bruised left knee. He had an MRI on his abdomen yesterday, which came back clean.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) May 18, 2013
Bryce Harper said his left knee is barking a little, still sore from wall collision. Thinking a day or two. Wants to be ready for SF
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 18, 2013
Bryce Harper is not playing today becauseof a sore left knee. #Nats #Nationals #MLB
— William Ladson (@washingnats) May 18, 2013
It's not all that surprising, considering Nats' GM Mike Rizzo, in an interview earlier this week on 160.7 the FAN in D.C., compared the bruising Harper sustained in the collision as being similar to that which one suffers in a car accident:
"He's sore like any kind of accident you get into. It's kind of a little bit like if you get into a car crash or something, get into a fender bender where you just get jostled or an airbag hits you or something like that, you're just sore and that's where he's at right now."
"He's sore on the left side of his body, which is the side that took the brunt of the collision, but other than that, once the soreness is gone he'll be able to perform for us." Harper returned to the lineup and went 2 for 9 with a home run in the last three games, but he's not going to be in the lineup tonight.
As for other injury updates, here's what the Twittering class had to report tonight:
Jayson Werth now gone to Chicago to see another specialist, Davey said. Hammy still tightening when he breaks out of box. Aiming for Fri
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 18, 2013
Jayson Werth seeing a specialist in Chicago for hamstring, will return Friday at earliest.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) May 18, 2013
Ross Detwiler had a third MRI done today & another specialist will look at it. Then #nats will know extent of injury.
— Amanda Comak (@acomak) May 18, 2013
Here's tonight's lineup:
Today's lineup at SDP: Span, CF; Lombardozzi, LF; Zimmerman, 3B; LaRoche, 1B; Desmond, SS; Moore, RF; Espinosa, 2B; Suzuki, C; Zimmermann, P
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) May 18, 2013
Game Time 8:40 pm EST tonight from San Diego