Bryce Harper drops appeal, will sit out tonight's game

Bryce Harper has dropped the appeal of his one-game suspension and will sit out tonight's game against the Marlins, a decision that allows the reigning league MVP to play in next week's showdown between the Nationals and Mets at Citi Field.

Harper had initially appealed Major League Baseball's suspension, which was handed down Wednesday in the wake of his ninth-inning ejection two nights earlier, subsequent return to the field and cursing at plate umpire Brian Knight seconds after teammate Clint Robinson hit a walk-off homer.

By appealing the suspension, Harper kept himself in the lineup for the Nationals' interleague series finale against the Tigers, which also happened to be his bobblehead night and turned into a historic event when right-hander Max Scherzer tied the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game.

"I think the union, they'll take care of that and figure out what happens," Harper said Wednesday night. "I think the only person that I'm pretty upset that saw it was my mom. I told her, 'Sorry.' I texted her after the game. So I think those are certain things that just happen. You live and you learn. Nothing I can do."

Had he not dropped the appeal, Harper likely would have had a hearing at MLB headquarters early next week while the Nationals are in New York. And if the league upheld the suspension, he likely would have had to sit out one of the games of the series against the Mets, which pits the current top two clubs in the NL East.

Now Harper will sit out the second half of a day-night doubleheader, with the Nationals well-covered for his absence. Because teams are allowed to call up a 26th player for doubleheaders, the Nats brought outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse. That gives them enough backup outfielders to sit Harper in the nightcap and still have a full bench.