Harper upset with umpire but avoids first ejection of season

ATLANTA - Bryce Harper has made a concerted effort not to be ejected from a game this season, something that has happened at least once in each of his previous six big league seasons. And with only two weeks to go, he's been successful, though Laz Diaz certainly tested the slugger's newfound calm demeanor Friday night.

Harper and Diaz jawed back and forth multiple times during the Nationals' 10-5 loss to the Braves, though truth be told the plate umpire was the more animated of the two. And that fact seemed to upset the Nats more than any of Diaz's actual calls.

"I say this all the time, and I'm not going to make any comments on balls and strikes there, but umpires are supposed to be non-confrontational," manager Davey Martinez said. "They're supposed to uphold the peace on the baseball field. For me, I think MLB needs to take a look at that. That's all I'm going to say."

The issues seemed to initially crop up in the top of the fifth, when Diaz called Kevin Gausman's first pitch to Harper (which was just off the plate) a strike. Harper disagreed, but nothing much happened in the moment.

When the bottom of the fifth arrived and Diaz called a similar pitch a ball to a Braves batter, Harper threw his arms out from his position in center field as if to question it. Diaz saw that and proceeded to walk toward the mound and yell out to Harper from several hundred feet away.

When that inning ended, Diaz walked down the third base line and tried to cut Harper off. The Nationals outfielder ignored him and returned to the dugout, but Diaz continued to bark at him.

"My head was down," Harper said. "I was just trying to get in the dugout and cheer the guys on. I wasn't really worried about what he was doing, or what he was yelling to my left. I didn't really hear what he was yelling when he was walking toward me."

Then Harper came up to bat in the top of the seventh, with one out and two runners in scoring position and the Nationals trailing by three runs. With the count 2-1, Harper took a pitch that was six inches off the plate (according to BrooksBaseball.net). When Diaz called it a strike, Harper fumed, though he was careful not to say anything that would get him ejected.

"That's my biggest thing this year: I don't want to get tossed," said Harper, who has 12 career ejections. "I think I go to the edge and kind of quiet up."

Manager Davey Martinez also came bursting out of the dugout and intended to get himself ejected, only to calm himself down just as his young star did.

"I'm not going to throw anybody under the bus, but we were in a pivotal moment of the game and he's saying things to Harp, and I thought that was uncalled for," said Martinez, who has been ejected only once (way back on April 7). "I've known (Diaz) for a long time. I ran out there thinking I was going to get thrown out, but I said: 'You know what, I'm not. This is a big moment of the game.' But I told Laz: 'Back off, let him hit. Just let him hit and back off.' He called a pitch on him that was pretty ridiculous. So hopefully MLB will take a look at it and decide what to do."

Harper, who has been known in the past to let an at-bat fall apart after getting into it with an umpire, did manage to compose himself and drove in a run with a groundball to short.

"I don't ever want to get an at-bat taken away from me, especially with guys on base," he said. "So tried to battle my butt off the best I could in that situation and was able to get a run across. I think it takes all your gut and mind to stay in that at-bat. And I was able to do that tonight and stay in the game as well."