Harper still fired up about Tuesday's incident

A day after being plunked by Braves’ starter Julio Teheran with a fastball to his hip, an incident that saw both benches and bullpens clear, Bryce Harper took stock of the situation in a one-on-one sitdown with Comcast SportsNet.

Harper told CSN’s Nats Insider Mark Zuckerman that he understands why the Braves reacted the way they did, but noted it was a double standard considering Justin Upton’s extended home run trot in Tuesday’s game. 

Because of that, Harper believes he did nothing wrong in shouting and pointing at Teheran, nearly creating a brawl between both teams.

“Compared to what Upton did the first night, I don’t think so,” he said “[Brian McCann] is just trying to protect Teheran on that play and it’s all part of the game. I respect McCann for doing that to me and I really respect how he did it.”

McCann walked out onto the field and tried to get in Harper’s face as he yelled at the pitcher, with only home umpire Joe West in between them to diffuse the situation. Harper calmed down and took first base, but says he may have reacted differently Tuesday night if the Nationals’ weren’t in desperate need of a win.

“I don’t think I should charge the mound when they have a 14 1/2-game lead,” he said. “If we’re ahead a couple of games, I probably try and put him six feet under.”

Benches clear in Nats-Braves game

Whether it was the way he walked out of the box after hitting the homer or the time he took around the bases, something about Bryce Harper’s third inning solo shot evidently bothered Julio Teheran.

The Braves starter retaliated in the fifth inning by beaning Harper with a 94 mile per hour fastball in the right thigh, igniting a near brawl that saw both benches and bullpens clear and warnings issued to both teams.

After getting hit in the leg Harper tossed his bat and stepped towards Teheran, yelling and pointing at him, clearly displeased with what he felt was an intentional strike. Teheran walked off the mound and towards Harper before home plate umpire Joe West jumped in Harper’s way to diffuse what nearly became an ugly situation.

Teheran said he was surprised with Harper’s reaction, sticking to his story that he was just trying to throw a fastball in and it got away from him. Harper on the other hand, wasn’t surprised Teheran would target him after the homer.

“I hit that ball pretty far off him, so no, not really,” he said.

Fired-up Nats still can't win

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Desperate for some kind of emotional spark, something that might snap them out of their season-long fog and set them on an upward path at long last, the Nationals got their wish in the fifth inning Tuesday night when their 20-year-old star took a fastball off his hip and then started jawing at the opposing pitcher, clearing both benches and bullpens.

Bryce Harper may have stoked the flame, but it's tough to keep the fire going when you can't deliver a single clutch hit in a key situation.

That has been the story of the Nationals' entire season, and it once again was the story on Tuesday during a 2-1 loss to the Braves that left them staring up at an almost-unfathomable 14 1/2-game deficit in the NL East.

"You get one of your guys hit, get people fired up, maybe get a little motivation there," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "I don't know. I've seen it go both ways."
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Instant analysis: Braves 2, Nats 1

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Game in a nutshell: After a particularly frustrating loss Monday night that left them 13 1/2 games back in the NL East, the Nationals might have needed something to stoke their fire when they took the field on Tuesday. They got just that when Bryce Harper (two innings after homering) was drilled in the hip by Braves starter Julio Teheran. Harper took a couple of steps toward the mound and jawed at Teheran, prompting both benches and bullpens to empty. No actual fight ensued, and order was quickly restored, but the Nationals suddenly regained their passion. Unfortunately, all the passion in the world can't make up for a lack of hits in key spots. So it was that they again squandered scoring opportunities and squandered a strong start by Gio Gonzalez. Held to zero or one run for the 31st time in 113 games this season, the Nationals lost another tight ballgame in frustrating fashion. The Braves now have won 12 in a row and have opened up a commanding, 14 1/2-game lead in the division.

Hitting lowlight: Stop us if you've heard this one before: The Nationals couldn't deliver a clutch hit in several big spots in the