Harper out of Nats' lineup against Bumgarner
By Dan Kolko
The Nationals' lineup against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner does not feature Bryce Harper.
Scott Hairston will play left field and hit eighth tonight, with Harper getting the day off.
We can assume that the reason for Harper's absence is his struggles against left-handed pitching this season. Harper has hit just .172/.270/.276 against southpaws in 2013, while Hairston has a career .268 batting average and .817 OPS against lefties.
Bumgarner is holding lefties to a .150 average and .493 OPS this season.
Anthony Rendon is back in the lineup hitting second after getting Sunday off to rest a minor forearm injury.
For the Nats
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Jayson Werth
SS Ian Desmond
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
LF Scott Hairston
LHP Gio Gonzalez
LATEST ORIOLES NEWS
LATEST NATIONALS NEWS
About the author
By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://www.masnsports.com/