Unawed Harper hitless in home debut

WASHINGTON - The Nationals hoped to capitalize on their return to Washington and the excitement generated by teenager Bryce Harper's home debut.

Instead, it was more of the same for the light-hitting Nationals, who managed six hits in a 5-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.

Harper, the 19-year-old Las Vegas native, went 0-for-3, but he thrilled the fans with a few solid plays in left field, including a tremendous throw to the plate that nearly doubled up a runner trying to score on a fly ball.

Harper received enthusiastic applause from the crowd of 22,675 when he stepped to the plate for the first time in the second inning. The 19-year-old struck out on four pitches from right-hander Trevor Cahill, missing badly on his three swings, but the crowd cheered again as he walked back to the dugout.

In this next at-bat, Harper grounded out on a 3-and-2 pitch in the fifth, with shortstop John McDonald making a nice play to field the ball behind second base. He also grounded out, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to Cahill, in the seventh.

Harper did, however, play well in left field. After Jason Kubel led off the second with a double, Harper fielded a single by Goldschmidt and threw a no-hopper to the infield to keep Kubel at third. One inning later, Harper sprinted to the line to make a fine catch of an opposite-field liner hit by Gerardo Parra.

Even better, Harper threw a 300-foot, no-bounce dart from left field to the plate on a Justin Upton sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and barely missed getting McDonald. Video replay appeared to show McDonald was out on the play.

"I just thought I had a shot," Harper said. "Reared back and gave it my all. That's what I try to do, make plays like that."

Arizona manager Kirk Gibson, a former outfielder, said, "It kind of surprised me. We knew he had a solid arm, but it was a pretty impressive throw."

The kid also impressed Upton, who also made his major league debut at 19.

"It's fun to watch," said Upton, who had two hits and two RBIs Tuesday. "It's fun to see him finally get called up, with all the hype and going out and enjoying the game. He looks like he's having fun out there, and that's what it's all about."

Harper, the top pick in the 2010 draft, made his big league debut in Los Angeles against the Dodgers over the weekend and went 2-for-6 in two games. He was called up to replace injured slugger Ryan Zimmerman, who could return from shoulder inflammation as soon as Sunday.

That doesn't mean Harper immediately will be heading back to Triple-A Syracuse.

"We'll see how his development goes," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "If I'm satisfied with how he's developing and how he's performing, how he's interacting, if he's ready mentally, physically and emotionally, then he'll stay."

Nothing Harper has done would indicate the teenager is overwhelmed by his environment - or major league pitching.

"I like everything about him," manager Davey Johnson said. "He's aggressive, an old-school player. He's handled himself like a professional athlete. Really, ever since I've seen him he's had quality at-bats."

Cameras, tape recorders and a bevy of microphones surrounded Harper on Tuesday afternoon. If he was bothered by the attention or nervous about playing his first big league game before the home fans, it was not apparent. He appeared confident, poised and humble.

"It's the same game I've been playing my whole life. I'm just trying to take it like that," he said. "Take one day at a time, one at-bat at a time. Not try to get too excited. Just trying to stay as calm as I can be."

Harper hopes to stick around long enough to see a little more of the nation's capital. He got plenty accomplished during his first foray Monday, including an impromptu pinch-hitting appearance in a softball game on the National Mall, but a return trip to downtown D.C. seems inevitable.

Asked his impression of the mall, Harper replied: "I loved it; I thought it was awesome. Everything in the city is really cool. Historic facts behind the city. Seeing the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson and all that kind of stuff. The Monument. I don't think you could play in a better city."