Bryce Harper returned from a eight-day layoff and got the start in CF, though he may have forgotten he wasn’t in RF for his first putout, ranging Kelly Leak-style in front of Eury Perez to end the 2nd inning. His second putout came in the 5th and was also a bit of an adventure, as the 19-year-old phenom slipped enough to allow 39-year-old Chipper Jones to advance to third base.
Offensively, Harper went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
Perez also pulled an oh-fer at the plate (0-for-4), but lived up the first sentence of his player report (“Defensively, Perez is ready: Takes good routes, makes accurate throws, etc.”) with a nifty 9-5 double play to help quash a Braves rally in the 7th.
Steve Lombardozzi was the third prospect to start, going 1-for-5, though he was victimized by a leaping stab by Andrelton Simmons in his last at-bat. Defensively, the 23-year-old utilityman/bench candidate made a putout and three assists.
Tyler Moore came off the bench to play 1B and struck out in the 8th inning. He was unable to make the scoop on a brilliant stop by Andres Blanco but was otherwise adequate in his three innings of defense.
The Nats return to Viera this afternoon to face the New York Yankees with Chien-Ming Wang taking the hill first, followed by John Lannan.