Clanregeln » .After beating the Giants two times at AT&T Park

ATLANTA -- Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with bursitis in his left knee. The Nationals tried to give Harper time to heal without using the disabled list. Manager Davey Johnson said the move became necessary when the team needed help in the bullpen before Saturday nights game against the Braves. Johnson also said the team decided it was necessary to protect Harpers status for the season. "You always do whats best for the player," Johnson said. "If the club felt that he would be able to come back in three or four or five days, we wouldnt have DLd him." Harper has missed the last five games and has been bothered by the knee since he crashed into the wall in a May 13 game at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The move was made Saturday retroactive to May 27. The Nationals already are without outfielder Jayson Werth, who has been on the disabled list since May 3 with a right hamstring injury. The team is off Monday and Werth could return Tuesday when Washington opens a home series against the Mets. The 20-year-old star is batting .287 and is tied for fifth in the NL with 12 homers. He has 23 RBIs and two stolen bases. "I think, in talking to Bryce, weve got to get by this where its not a recurring thing," Johnson said. "Hes not going out there playing 80 per cent. His legs are just as big a part of his game. Taking that extra base, running hard. I dont want to take a chance of him getting injured further." Johnson said Harper probably aggravated the injury with his aggressive play. "You dont know how bad the injuries were," Johnson said. "He felt pretty good the next day. He had some bruises but he didnt have any swelling. When he went back to paying, he dove for a ball, then slid head-first. I think it was probably a sensitive area and he exacerbated it by pounding on it more. He felt good enough that he wanted to play and he knows his body better than anybody." Harper was with the team but did not speak with reporters before Saturday nights game. The Nationals recalled right-hander Erik Davis from Triple-A Syracuse. The team needed bullpen depth after starter Stephen Strasburg lasted only two innings on Friday night due to a strained right side. Davis was 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA and seven saves at Syracuse. He has no major league experience. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Pittsburgh Pirates Store . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . 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OAKLAND, Calif. -- In an effort to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants will buck 40 years of baseball tradition.Giants ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner will start Thursday against the Oakland As at the Oakland Coliseum, and he will bat in place of a designated hitter.Bumgarner will become the first starting pitcher to bat intentionally in place of a designated hitter since Ken Brett did so twice for the Chicago White Sox in 1976. Since the DH rule was adopted by the AL in 1973, the only other pitchers knowingly penciled into the batting order in games at AL parks were the Rangers Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 and the Athletics Ken Holtzman in 1975, according to the San Jose Mercury News.The Tampa Bay Rays were forced to use pitcher Andy Sonnanstine instead of a DH in a 2009 game, but that was due to a lineup-card mistake.Bumgarner, who is hitting .175 (7-for-40) with two homers and five RBI this year, will get to bat against As rookie left-hander Dillon Overton due largely to the Giants lack of right-handed-hitting options. Though he pitches left-handed, Bumgarner bats right-handed.Overton, coming off a win in his major league debut Saturday in Anaheim, is excited to face off with Bumgarner the pitcher.Hes one of the best pitchers in baseball, and Ive watched him for numerous years on TV, and Ive taken some pointers from him, Overton said. It will definitely be special to be able to throw against him. It will be fun.Overton had 28 family members from Oklahoma and Texas cheering him on Saturday due a 7-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels.It was a thrilling start to his career, even though he allowed solo home runs to Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols. Those were the only runs Overton allowed in 5 2/3 innings. Now he gets to make his home debut on a day the As will attempt to complete a sweep of the Giants.Being a home-grown guy in this organization, it will definitely be special to throw here finally in front of our home crowd, Overton said Wednesday.After beating the Giants two times at AT&T Park, the As defeated them 7-1 on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. Beating Bumgarner to cap the sweep wont be easy for Oakland, as he is 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against the Athletics.Hes been awesome, Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford said of Bumgarner. All of his pitches have been sharp. Hes using the cutter and fastball like always, but hes really been mixing in that curveball and been throwing that really well this year, and I think thats probably the biggest difference.ddddddddddddBumgarner had gone 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA over 10 starts before hitting what for him was a rough patch. He has lost back-to-back starts despite allowing a total of just four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies in that stretch.After watching his team commit three errors and lose yet another infielder to an injury Wednesday night, Giants manager Bruce Bochy took little solace in the fact that Bumgarner would be on the mound for the series finale.We just have to clean it up, Bochy said. Thats the one thing we were doing very well is catching the ball. You deal with the streaks where you have trouble scoring runs, but the one thing we should be consistent at is catching the ball. Were a pretty good team defensively, and thats gotten away from us.Giants starting second baseman Joe Panik (concussion) went on the seven-day disabled list Wednesday, joining starting third baseman Matt Duffy (left Achilles strain) and backup infielders Kelby Tomlinson (left thumb sprain) and Ehire Adrianza (fractured left foot).Now infielder Ramiro Pena, who started in Paniks place Wednesday, could be headed to the DL. He sprained his left ankle in the third inning in a collision with right fielder Mac Williamson as they pursued a pop fly. Pena, who was charged with an error, stayed in the game until being replaced by a pinch hitter in the fifth.Hes pretty sore, Bochy said. X-rays were negative. Well get an MRI tomorrow. Hes looking at (missing) five to seven days. I think its pretty evident were going to have to get somebody to help out here.Overtons personal rooting section will be decidedly smaller Thursday than it was Saturday, but he still will have six to eight family members at the game.My wifes going to be here, my grandparents will be here and my cousin and uncle will be here, Overton said. And I just found out today my mother-in-law and my wifes grandpa will be here.They should see a much more relaxed pitcher on the mound.Since Ive already had one outing, I think it will be a little easier to not be so star-struck when I go out there this time, said Overton, a second-round pick in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma. Just easier to stay focused and be ready to do what I need to do. I think it will be fun, and Im looking forward to it. ' ' '