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Nationals' Wednesday Night Lineup vs The Giants: Bryce Harper Back In

Bryce Harper's back in after sitting for a game with flu-like symptoms, but Wilson Ramos is out after tweaking his hamstring last night. The good news is that the Nationals' catcher doesn't think the third hamstring injury he's had this year is a bad one...

By Patrick Reddington
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Kurt Suzuki has started just one game this month. Since Wilson Ramos returned from the DL on July 4th, the 29-year-old Suzuki has started just seven games. Ramos, over that stretch, from July 4th through last night, has started 26 games, and the 26-year-old catcher has gone 30 for 97, posting a .309/.330/.505 line with four doubles and five home runs in 100 plate appearances.

Ramos suffered his third hamstring injury of the year last night, however, and though Davey Johnson told reporters the team's doctors didn't think it was too bad, he did say that the catcher who's done the bulk of the work behind the plate recently would not be available tonight and was considered day-to-day. When the Nationals released their lineup for the second game of three with the San Francisco Giants in D.C., it was Suzuki penciled in as the starting catcher, though the fact that the Nationals didn't announce any moves to bring in another backstop, might be a good sign for Ramos...

Bryce Harper sat with flu-like symptoms last night as the Nationals beat the Giants in the series opener for their fourth straight win overall. Davey Johnson told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.'s The Sports Junkies this morning that Harper was fine and the 20-year-old outfielder would return tonight and wanted to play last night. "He wanted to get in there," the Nats' skipper said. "He'll be in there tonight. So, go back to my old lineup with him hitting third and go from there."

Harper is just 6 for 36 (.167/.286/.361) with a double and two home runs in his last 10 games. On the year, he now has a .262/.361/.507 line. At this point last summer, in his first major league season, the then-19-year-old rookie had a .249/.325/.402 line after a brutal 31-game stretch coming out of the All-Star Break in which he was 21 for 118 (.178/.267/.254) with a double, triple and home run in 136 PAs. From August 14th (another game w/ the Giants, in SF though) through the end of the season, Harper was 53 for 170 (.312/.368/.629) with 10 doubles, four triples and 12 HRs in 46 games and 188 plate appearances to finish the season with a .270/.340/.477 line.

Harper's starting in left tonight against the Giants:

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