WASHINGTON (AP) — Everywhere Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman goes these days http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey , the same topic arises: What is going to happen with free agent outfielder Bryce Harper?“As if they think — I guess because I’ve been here forever — I know all the answers to everything,” Zimmerman said Saturday at Nationals Park during the club’s annual fan festival. “Yeah, you get that question quite a bit.”As much as Washington general manager Mike Rizzo already has done to try to improve a roster that flopped in 2018, that is the essential issue that is going to loom over the offseason until it’s resolved.Harper was drafted No. 1 overall by the Nationals in 2010, made his major league debut as a teen, won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2012, was a unanimous selection as NL MVP in 2015 — and now could be gone for good at age 26.“Whatever team he’s on is a better team. He’s one of the better players in the game. A lot of us would love to have him back here. I don’t think there’s anyone that wouldn’t like to have him back,” Zimmerman said. “But there’s a lot of different factors that go into that. It’s a complicated situation.”Washington, which went 82-80 and missed the playoffs, made a late-season offer to Harper that was not accepted, which was no surprise.“They haven’t showed their hand either way, as far as what their timeline is,” Rizzo said. “I think their timeline is: When they get the deal they feel comfortable with, I think they’re going to move. I don’t think there’s anything urgency on their part. I think when they get something they like Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , it’ll probably happen.”Until then, Rizzo is making moves to shore up his team.That doesn’t include the outfield, though: The Nationals already have Juan Soto, who was the runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year, along with Adam Eaton, top prospect Victor Robles and Michael A. Taylor.As for Harper’s future, Robles said: “Everyone asks about that. A lot.”Rizzo has added a pair of catchers, trading with the Cleveland Indians for AL All-Star Yan Gomes on Friday without relinquishing a top prospect and signing free agent Kurt Suzuki to a $10 million, two-year deal last week.He brought in a couple of back-end-of-the-bullpen relievers, signing Trevor Rosenthal, a free agent coming off reconstructive elbow surgery, and acquiring Kyle Barraclough from the Miami Marlins.And he joined Nationals owner Mark Lerner in meeting recently with free agent starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, a left-hander who went 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA as an NL All-Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018.“We go into the offseason with a checklist every year. We’ve checked a few things off so far, but we’re far from finished. And I think that the Bryce situation and filling some of the other things that we’re trying to do are independent of each other Youth Jalen Ramsey Jersey ,” Rizzo said. “We’ve always been an organization that ownership has given us the resources to do what we need to do to build a championship-caliber club, and I don’t see that changing.”NOTES: Asked about how his long-term deal could expire after next season, unless the Nationals pick up an $18 million club option for 2020, Zimmerman said he doesn’t anticipate “having any problems coming to an agreement moving forward.” Added the 34-year-old Zimmerman: “I still would like to get compensated fairly, but it’s not like I’m going to go somewhere else and play for an extra couple bucks. I don’t think it’s any secret I would like to finish here.” … 2B/OF Howie Kendrick will be “full-go at spring training,” Rizzo said. Kendrick tore his right Achilles tendon in May and missed the rest of last season. … Asked whether the Nationals will make a push to sign 3B Anthony Rendon to a new contract this offseason, Rizzo replied: “I think we should. And I think we have. And I think we will continue to do so. He’s a guy that we drafted, signed and developed and he’s one of our own. He’s a terrific player that nobody talks about.” ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman is delighted to have the Atlanta Braves in first place to begin the final month of the regular season.It sure beats the drudgery of losing at least 90 games in each of the last three years.“When you go to spring training every year, that’s all you can ask for, and here we are playing meaningful games with a three-game lead,” he said. “That’s what we want to be playing for. It’s a lot of fun.”Freeman hit a tiebreaking, RBI double in the four-run eighth inning, and the NL East-leading Braves rallied to snap a three-game skid and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 on Saturday night.The Braves had dropped five of six overall and seven of eight at home, but they got the rally going in the eighth when Dansby Swanson’s 14th homer cut the lead to 3-2.“You get a little energy http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/jalen-ramsey-jersey-cheap , and it just keeps rolling,” Swanson said. “Hopefully that continues going into tomorrow and the next few days.”Pinch-hitter Lucas Duda doubled and was replaced by pinch-runner Lane Adams, who advanced to third on Ronald Acuna Jr.’s sacrifice fly. Adams scored when Ender Inciarte reached safely after striking out on a wild pitch.Inciarte scored on Freeman’s double, and Freeman advanced to third on a single and slid safely across the plate to beat a tag attempt on Johan Camargo’s sacrifice fly.All four runs were charged to Keone Kela (3-4), who had allowed just one run in his first 14 games, a stretch of 14 innings, with Pittsburgh.“This is a tough league up here from time to time, and everybody learns it,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s hard. That’s why that team’s hunting over there. They have a good team.”The Pirates dropped to 55-2 when leading after seven innings. They are 13-21 since ending an 11-game winning streak on July 25.Jonny Venters (2-0) got the win after facing two batters in the eighth. Braves closer A.J. Minter faced the minimum in the ninth to earn his 12th save in 14 chances.Pirates starter Chris Archer did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and led 3-0 after Starling Marte’s two-run double in the fifth and Gregory Polanco’s 22nd homer in the sixth off Braves starter Kevin Gausman.Archer faced the minimum before walking Acuna to begin the fourth. He retired the next six batters before Swanson doubled to begin the sixth, and Acuna followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-1.Archer gave up two hits, one run and one walk and struck out five in six innings. He decided a couple of days ago to pitch from the stretch the entire time for the first time in his career. Archer didn’t shake off catcher Francisco Cervelli once.“When I was 10 years old and first pitched in my life, my dad taught me to keep things simple, so I kind of went back to that,” Archer said. “And then the past couple of games Youth Leonard Fournette Jersey , I’ve just felt more comfortable out of stretch.”Gausman allowed five hits and three runs — one earned — with no walks and four strikeouts in six innings. Gausman’s streak of 19 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings ended when Marte made it 2-0.Archer had struggled since getting acquired in a July 31 with Tampa Bay, going 1-2 with a 6.45 ERA in five starts and allowing seven hits and six runs and two walks in losing his last start 7-4 at Milwaukee.RAKINGAcuna hit .336 with 11 homers and 21 RBIs in August and became the first NL rookie in the last 110 seasons with 39 hits and 11 homers in a calendar month. … Camargo leads the Braves with 50 RBIs since the start of June. … Marte went 2 for 4 and has hit .400 in his last eight games. … Of Polanco’s 76 RBIs, 74 have come as a right fielder, the most Pittsburgh has gotten at that position since Jose Guillen drove in 83 in 1998. … Swanson is hitting .314 with 23 RBIs in 156 at-bats this season in the seventh inning or later.EXPANDED ROSTERSPittsburgh recalled C Jacob Stallings, utility man Jose Osuna and RHP Dovydas Neverauskus from Triple-A Indianapolis. RHP Nick Burdi was returned from a rehab assignment and reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Utility man Pablo Reyes had his contract selected from Indianapolis.Atlanta selected the contracts of RHP Kyle Wright and OF Adams and recalled RHP Touki Toussaint, RHP Bryse Wilson and OF Michael Reed from Triple-A Gwinnett. RHP Shane Carle was returned from a rehab assignment and reinstated from the 10-day DL. C Rene Rivera reported after he was acquired this week from the Los Angeles Angels.TRAINER’S ROOMSnitker said RHP Arodys Vizcaino, transferred to the 60-man DL, will make his first rehab appearance Sunday at Gwinnett. Sidelined 52 games this year with right shoulder inflammation, Vizcaino has converted 15 of 17 saves chances and 48 of 60 in his career.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Nick Kingham (3-3, 4.63 ERA) takes Ivan Nova’s turn in the rotation. Hurdle said Nova, who was not with the team Friday or Saturday, is absent because of a personal matter. Nova did not have a locker reserved in the clubhouse. Kingham will make his eighth start.Braves: RHP Julio Teheran (9-7, 4.18 ERA) will make his 27th start. He ranks third-best in the NL with a .203 opponents’ batting average but has given up the fourth-most homers and walks.