My kind of coach

[BaseballCoach (Rev A)]

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was benched for lack of effort in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Manager Matt Williams apparently was not happy with Harper's effort running to first base during a groundout in the sixth inning. He replaced Harper with Kevin Frandsen.

When asked about the incident after the game, Williams attributed Harper's "inability to run 90 feet" as the reason for the benching.

"Lack of hustle. That's why he came out of the game," Williams said. "He and I made an agreement, this team made an agreement, that when we play the game, that we hustle at all times."

The 21-year-old Harper, a two-time All-Star, said he understood the decision.

"I respect what he did," Harper said. "That's part of the game."

Harper, who finished the game 0-for-3, has missed time recently with a quad injury, though he said it felt "fine" Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said after the game that he backed Williams' decision.

"I unequivocally support the manager's decision 100 percent," he said, according to the Post.

Harper is expected back in the lineup Sunday for the series finale against the Cardinals.

[BarryBobPosthole]

[BaseballCoach (Rev A)]

Sorry Barry, didn't see that you had posted that in another thread. An old coach told me one time that the best teaching tool that a coach had was the bench.

[Chicken Dinner]

Given the Kid's history and reputation, that's kind of surprising. No doubt he didn't hustle on the play, but he's also been nursing s strained quad. I think it's mostly a rookie Manager making the point that everyone is accountable and it's probably a good thing based in how sloppy they've been at times so far this year. Lots of opinions out there in the Natosphere going both ways.