Bryce Harper will be out for quite some time due to the injury suffered this past Saturday while playing against the San Francisco Giants. While running towards first base, Harper slipped on the bag, turning his knee in the process. The initial diagnosis did not looked all that promising for the Washington Nationals. There was concern about ligament damage on Harper’s left knee. Fortunately for the Nationals, Harper only suffers from a “severe” bone bruise in his knee. The Nationals will still run away with the East pennant of the National League. However, thanks to Harper’s condition, the Nationals will have to use other tools in their repertoire to plug in the hole left by the outfielder, maybe even during the postseason.
Pitching
Since Harper’s offensive contributions will be missing in the lineup, the pitchers must keep doing their job. Perhaps the offense will be cut short momentarily, but if the arms remain strong, there will not be many runs against them either. As we have seen trough the season, Washington’s rotation is no joke. With names like Gio Gonzalez, with a 10-5 record and an ERA of 2.59, Edwin Jackson, who has been covering on the mound for injured Stephen Strasburg, and the main attraction, Max Scherzer. Scherzer leads the American League in WHIP (O.848), hits per game (5.44), innings pitched (160.1), and strikeouts (220). He is simply better than most batters in the game right now. Their “Big Five” will certainly help in Harper’s absence.
Starring Supporting Actors
The spotlight will not be where it usually sits for a while. As funny as it sounds, Harper’s injury will help other players in the roster take on the star and/or leading role for a while. Catcher Matt Wieters can keep the Nationals’ impressive momentum going. With 44 RBI, he might not be a huge power house like Harper is, but he is a timely batter nonetheless. Daniel Murphy and his 78 RBI and his 20 home runs will make the outfielder’s absence feel less significant. When it comes to defense, Howie Kendrick can easily jump in to cover the Las Vegas native. The farm system is not that bad either. If the Nationals desire to do so, they could very well call up AAA player Chad Huffman. If the choice for his temporary replacement comes down to defensive capabilities, there is no shortage of players to choose from.
An Easy Road Ahead?
Will Nationals still win their division? Yes. Will their pitching remain strong? Yes. Will it be easy? Who knows?
The remaining schedule looks like a relative cakewalk for a team as fired up as Washington, but there will come a tough road ahead of them. Yes, the regular season will not be much of a problem. The big concern here is postseason. If Harper does not make it back to the playing field in time, things could get hard for the Nationals team. As much contributions as the other players can bring to the table, Harper is still a huge need for the team. His timely bat and power will be needed in the most crucial time of the season.
If Harper is not there, there will be a big gap in a huge moment for his team. Furthermore, both the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, and maybe even the Milwaukee Brewers, can turn their World Series hopes upside down with a bloop and a blast.
The Nationals will still win the NL East. After that, they are really hoping that Harper can return in time to make a deep postseason run.