Still no definitive answer on Strasburg's Sunday status

Manager Dusty Baker was asked prior to Saturday's matchup with the Reds who will be his starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale.

Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has missed a pair of starts after injuring his back prior to a start in Los Angeles on June 16. Top prospect Lucas Giolito started Tuesday's game and pitched four scoreless innings.

"It's not up to me," Baker said. "It's up to how Stras feels. Right now he's feeling pretty good. Probably be a decision tomorrow."

"It might be a game time decision because sometimes you got to go out there and warm up to see if you are indeed 100 percent. I'm sorry I don't have any more to tell you but that's just how it is."

Both Giolito and Strasburg made appearances during pregame clubhouse and looked good to go. It might come down to the Nationals having an emergency pitcher available who also happens to be the No. 1 pitching prospect in the majors.

Meanwhile, Bryce Harper settled for a single Friday night in the fourth inning. It appeared that his long drive high off the right-center field wall had a chance of going out for a home run. Harper might have thought that too, as he appeared to not run as hard as he usually does out of the box. The throw in was so good that Harper had to settle for a single when he likely could have very easily had a double.

Baker said he spoke with his right fielder about the play and what he expects in a similar situation in the future.

"You know I wanted to see him on second." Baker said. "I addressed it. Bryce told me that he knew it was wrong and it won't happen again. What do you say when the person tells you that? He knew it. We addressed it in spring training. I guess it had been addressed in the past with a couple of other managers. He knew it right away. I didn't dwell on it because he knew it."

Right-hander Jonathan Papelbon made his second rehab appearance yesterday as he recovers from an intercostal strain. He has been on the disabled list since June 13.

He pitched one inning for Double-A Harrisburg at Reading, throwing one shutout inning with one walk and one strikeout.

"He is still good to go for one more," Baker said. "(Friday) I heard he didn't throw many pitches, I heard he was pretty sharp. It's hard to pitch against minor leaguers because most of the time they swing a lot and secondly, it's hard to set them up because they don't know when they are set up. Everybody knows that they're set up for this pitch and then 'whack!' And then they are like 'you didn't know you were supposed to be set up for that.'

"I'm hoping that Pap comes out of tonight well and then we will make a decision. Definitely not tomorrow because he needs a day off, at least one day off, maybe two in between."

There have been a couple of times this year where the Nats were close to having to decide who will catch late in games and extra inning affairs. When Wilson Ramos and Jose Lobaton have been used in a game, who is Baker's emergency catcher?

"Bryce told me he used to catch," Baker said. "That's what he told me. And then when we were stuck that day when (Anthony) Rendon got kicked out, (Bryce) came to me and said I can pick it at third. I and I was like, 'I bet you can'. It might be Bryce, he signed as a catcher, right? And I talked to J-W (Jayson Werth), he signed as a catcher but he's like, 'no, no man'."

Baker said that deciding from his roster who will would be his No. 3 catcher each night is something that does concern him during games.

"You are always afraid of that, always as a manager," Baker said. "You're always afraid that your second catcher will take a foul tip or something. Who's your emergency catcher? That adds value to whoever your utility guy is because if he can be a third catcher, or an emergency catcher.

"But everybody doesn't want to catch. I know that's the last thing I wanted to do was catch. If you had to depend on me you just wouldn't have a catcher."