Could moving Bryce Harper around in lineup spark offense?

For the third game in a row, the Nationals scored only three runs. Their starting pitching and bullpen allowed only two runs, so they were able to squeeze out a dramatic 3-2 walk-off win over the Padres.

But the lineup had difficulty for most of Saturday night putting together good rallies against Padres veteran Edwin Jackson. Despite managing to get at least a man on base in each of his six innings, plus a hit in five of those frames, they scored only on a sac fly by Daniel Murphy and a RBI double from Ben Revere.

Revere rebounded from an 0-for-5 Friday to post a solid night. He walked and scored a run in that third frame and later and a huge runner in scoring position extra base hit to tie the game at 2-2.

Power hitter Bryce Harper struggled again, going 0-for-4 and striking out in the eighth as the Nats sought that go-ahead run. Harper isn't in the starting lineup for today's series finale.

Manager Dusty Baker mentioned changes could be in the immediate future after Friday's 5-3 series opening setback to San Diego. He spoke about how important it was to get Revere going.

As crucial now is to get the National League MVP on track. In his last seven games, Harper has hit only .148 (4-for-27) with nine strikeouts.

Besides adjusting his approach at the plate, another option might be for Baker to tinker with the lineup.

One way Baker could adjust the lineup is to move Harper around in the order.

An option is to move Harper to third in batting order. Murphy then moves to cleanup. This would allow the Nats to take better advantage of Harper's speed near the top of the order. It also would provide the best protection for Harper with Murphy in the cleanup spot.

As hot as Murphy is with the bat right now, he can pretty much create anything, so placing him at No. 4 would be beneficial for both hitters. Murphy can continue to be Murphy regardless of where he hits. Plus Harper has better speed on the base paths than Murphy.

Another move would be to just put Harper to the leadoff spot. That way he would not be walked to leadoff the game. With Harper leading off, the Nats lineup can take advantage of his aggressiveness on the base paths to create some more offense. Power hitters of the past like Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and even Bobby Bonds have hit leadoff at times in their careers.

Not only will the Nats have a better shot of manufacturing runs with him at the top, but later in games with the pinch-hitter gets an at-bat in the pitcher's spot. Harper coming up next could provide the bat they need for a big rally if they find themselves in a 5-3 predicament late in a contest.

Of course, putting Harper at the top of the order creates ripple effects at the bottom of the order. Do you bat Revere second? What happens to Werth? Does everyone slide up one or down one? The bottom half of the order needs to be adjusted if Harper is the leadoff man.

This is assuming that Harper is good in the batter's box: more critical at this juncture than switching around the lineup is to get Harper right at the plate.

His pitch selection and body control in the box need to go back to the way he was swinging in April or for a brief spot when he got his groove back against St. Louis, Cincinnati and the Chicago. If he can find those answers, the offense as a whole will have a better shot at sustaining rallies.