Sore groin keeps Harper out of lineup (Nationals win 4-2)

PHILADELPHIA - Still dealing with a sore groin, Bryce Harper is not in the starting lineup for tonight's series opener against the Phillies, but the Nationals remain confident the injury isn't anything serious and that their slugger will return in short order.

"He's a little sore," manager Dusty Baker said. "Like I said yesterday, he's day-to-day. I said I'll check with him daily. I didn't check with him today, but I checked with the trainers. Hopefully he'll come back sometime this weekend."

Harper hurt himself making a sliding catch early in Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks but felt well enough to take three at-bats before departing in the seventh inning. The 24-year-old right fielder said he hoped to be in the lineup tonight at Citizens Bank Park (where he owns a career .988 OPS) but the club is being cautious with him.

The fact it rained most of the day in Philadelphia, leaving the field wet, might have played a role in the decision to sit Harper, though Baker insisted that wasn't the deciding factor.

"No, not really. Because I had already given him (the game) off prior to waking up this morning," the manager said. "But the wet field certainly didn't help at all."

With Harper sidelined, Chris Heisey is starting in right field, batting seventh. Daniel Murphy, who has been batting fifth, moves up to Harper's traditional third spot in the lineup.

Update: Who needs Harper's power stroke in the lineup when you've got Stephen Strasburg's power stroke? Yes, Strasburg has homered here tonight, crushing a pitch from Nick Pivetta to left-center field for a solo shot in the top of the second. And it was no cheapie; the ball traveled 404 feet and elicited a gasp from the crowd the moment it left the bat.

This is Strasburg's second career homer. The previous: May 20, 2012, off the Orioles' Wei-Yin Chen on a very similar-looking swing. That one earned Strasburg a curtain call from the sellout crowd at Natioanls Park. This one ... well, there was no curtain call.

The Nats have been putting the bat on the ball against Pivetta (the former prospects traded to the Phillies for Jonathan Papelbon). They have seven hits in three innings off the right-hander. But so far they've scored only two runs, with Anthony Rendon's bases-loaded single in the top of the first preceding Strasburg's homer.

Strasburg has pitched well, allowing one single and two walks through his first three innings. The only downside: His pitch count is already at 52.

Update II: Hey, Ryan Zimmerman homered. To right-center field. I'm guessing you're not shocked to learn this. Pitchers keep trying to go up-and-away to him, and he keeps launching those pitches to right-center field. He now has 12 homers and 31 RBIs for the season. Oh, he's also batting .431. Yes, .431. Remarkable.

And if that wasn't enough, Rendon followed Zimmerman's blast with his own homer to nearly the identical spot. That's Rendon's fourth homer, and including his two RBIs tonight he now has 19 on the season. Nats lead 4-0 after five.

Update III: There's still some baseball left to be played here tonight, folks. It's now 4-2 Nats after seven. Strasburg threw 119 pitches, matching his career-high, before being pulled with two outs in the sixth. Blake Treinen got out of that inning but then allowed two runs in the seventh. Enny Romero came in to get the final out of the seventh and likely will return for the eighth. And then for the ninth ... Matt Albers? Stay tuned.

Update IV: It's over. Nats win 4-2. And the man on the mound when it ended was indeed Albers. In his 461st career big league appearance, Albers recorded his first career save. How about that?