By Sarah Trotto, The Sports Xchange
CHICAGO — The Washington Nationals saw what more of their opponents might start doing — walking Bryce Harper to prevent the reigning National League MVP from hitting.
The Chicago Cubs walked Harper 13 times in sweeping the Nationals in four games. He walked six times — three times intentional — Sunday in the series finale, which the Cubs won 4-3 on a home run in the 13th inning.
Cleanup hitter Ryan Zimmerman went 1-for-7 with a double behind Harper on Sunday. His batting average dropped to .236. Nationals manager Dusty Baker didn’t commit to making any lineup changes.
“You can feel the pressure mounting on Zim, but this guy has been a clutch man in this organization for a long time,” Baker said. “He’s one of the premier clutch men in the game. I’m sure it’s killing him.
We just have to go back to the diving board and just keep fighting.”
Harper expressed faith in Zimmerman.
“Zim rakes and it’s a lot of fun to watch,” Harper said. “If they’re gonna walk me, they’re gonna walk me and put me on. Hopefully, the guy behind me can get it done. That’s what’s gonna happen, hopefully.”