Runs have come at a premium lately for the Washington Nationals, putting a big burden on their starting pitchers. Luckily, Jordan Zimmermann has been up to the task this season, though Friday night he’ll have to bounce back from his first loss in nearly a month.

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Among many other traits, Bryce Harper has shown an uncanny ability to learn from his mistakes and rarely, if ever, repeat them.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Washington Nationals trainer Lee Kuntz approached Davey Johnson in the ninth inning of a 1-1 game Wednesday, informing the manager that Bryce Harper’s left knee was sore.

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Running into that fence knocked some sense into Bryce Harper; he said doesn’t want to do it again. There’s only one problem: He still has to play the outfield. Harper found himself caught between making a catch and making sure of his own safety Tuesday night, and his indecision might have cost the Washington Nationals a ballgame.
With two outs in the ninth inning, Harper pulled up short in pursuit of a fly ball that fell in for a score-tying triple by Gregor Blanco. Closer Rafael Soriano had blown the save, and the San Francisco Giants won 4-2 in the 10th on a home run by Pablo Sandoval. A strong performance by Stephen Strasburg had meant nothing, the Nats fell to 23-23 on the season and the experience revealed that Harper has his confidence shaken.
Quoted by reporter Adam Kilgore in the Washington Post , Harper said:
“I don’t want to hit the frickin’ wall full-on,” Harper said. “Of course that crosses your mind after you jam into a wall. It doesn’t really feel very good. It [stinks] that I couldn’t make the play. I totally put that loss on me.”
Blanco’s triple was an echo of another play Harper failed to make May 14, when he famously slammed face-first into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium, dazing himself and needing 11 stitches to close a gash in his chin.
Many had wondered why Harper — who has displayed a sixth sense in other ways on the baseball field at age 20 — turned around so late after reaching the warning track, just before impact. A combination of inexperience and fearlessness was Harper’s undoing. Well, now he has some experience. And he’s afraid. It’s a mental barrier Harper says he must overcome, or else.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — With Ryan Vogelsong sidelined for the foreseeable future, the San Francisco Giants are facing more change and challenges for their struggling starting rotation.

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Into the middle of May, Jim Johnson was untouchable, on a streak of 35 consecutive saves. Fast forward a week and he’s a struggling closer looking for a break. That’s life in the ninth inning. It’s time for an audit in Baltimore.
Johnson suffered a couple of blown saves last week, mostly death by a thousand cuts (with one homer mixed in). His squandered opportunity from Monday came on one pitch , a plate-centered fastball that Travis Hafner deposited into the Oriole Park seats in left-center field. Baltimore eventually lost the game in ten innings, its sixth straight defeat.
“We will figure it out,” Johnson told the team’s official site . “I’ll figure it out. There’s no other option.”
Orioles manager Buck Showalter quickly gave Johnson a vote of confidence after Monday’s loss. “Come back tomorrow and watch it again, he was one pitch away,” Showalter said to Orioles.com . “Jimmy’s a very consistent human being. Professional and a great teammate. We didn’t do enough to win tonight. … It’s frustrating for him, but he wasn’t the only one who could come out of this game a little frustrated.”

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Update: Nationals manager Davey Johnson said Monday that he received “an alarming report” about Werth (hamstring) following an MRI, and it could be two more weeks before Werth’s ready to return, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports.

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Giants stumble home after 1-5 trip

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The San Francisco Giants’ slump is largely due to the struggles of their starting pitchers, and Ryan Vogelsong may need to turn things around quickly before he loses his spot in the rotation.

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SAN DIEGO — Everth Cabrera was looking for a fastball. Jordan Zimmermann threw him a cutter.

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