Bryce Harper walks into Nats' record books

Bryce Harper changed history again last night, breaking a record that represents the respect and fear opposing teams have for him while also validating the vulnerability of the Nats lineup surrounding him.

Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez actually went ahead 0-2 on Harper in the first before shying away from the strike zone with four consecutive balls. Harper's 116th free pass tied him with former slugger Adam Dunn's 2009 mark for most walks in a single season in Nationals history.

With Yunel Escobar on second and Harper on first and one out, Jimemez caught Jayson Werth looking at a strike-three fastball and then induced an inning-ending soft grounder from Clint Robinson as the Nats came away with nothing.

Harper broke Dunn's record with two outs in the fifth when Jimenez walked him for the second time, but Werth grounded out to end the frame.

Trailing 4-1 in the eighth, Harper drew a leadoff walk from Orioles right-hander Brad Brach. Werth ripped a liner to left but Nolan Reimold ran down the drive and then Robinson and Ian Desmond struck out to end the inning.

"Just trying to have good at-bats," Harper said. "Just trying to get on base. I have faith in the guys behind me to get it done. If I can just get on base and hopefully score runs, then we're winning ballgames. I'm just trying to keep the faith, keep going and keep trying to just get on base for my guys. Just trying to score as many runs as I can."

Asked if he gets frustrated on a night when the bat is taken out of his hand and then his teammates respond with only three hits, Harper chose to focus on a missed opportunity at the plate in the third.

"I missed my pitch," Harper said. "I missed the 1-2 sinker. I probably should have hit it out of the yard, but I popped up to second. That's on me. If I want a hit, then that's the pitch I gotta hit. Instead of being 1-for-1, I was 0-for-1 with three walks. I can't miss my pitches."

Harper hasn't missed many this year, leading the majors with a .342/.471/.672 slash line. His lofty on-base percentage - the highest since Chipper Jones' .470 mark in 2008 - has also helped place Harper atop the majors with 116 runs scored.

But the relentless injuries the Nats faced repeatedly created holes in the batting order, leaving Harper without protection for much of the season.

Harper has been walked at least three times in eight games this season. In fact, the Braves actually walked Harper in four straight plate appearances on Sept. 3 and the young slugger scored on all four, even picking up an RBI on one with the bases loaded. According to Elias, Harper became the first player - since RBIs were tracked in 1920 - to not register a single at-bat, walk four times, score four times and claim an RBI.

That was Harper's second four-walk, four-run game of the season, making him just the second player in baseball history to record at least four walks and four runs scored in two games in a season, joining Dom DiMaggio in 1950.

"It's unbelievable to see a guy who when he's at home plate sees so many pitches thrown around him," catcher Jose Lobaton said. "He's one of the greatest hitters I've ever seen. It's unbelievable to see how many walks he can take in a year. Hopefully he can stay like that and healthy and we'll see a lot of good things."

Nationals manager Matt Williams added, "It just means that he's had a great year. It means that he's staying with his plan. It means that he continues to be patient at the plate. He's continuing with his progress, and that's a very good sign for this franchise for years to come."