The Washington Nationals lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Saturday, and Bryce Harper was benched in the sixth inning for a lack of hustle during a groundout.
According to ESPN, Nationals manager Matt Williams said that Harper's "inability to run 90 feet" was the primary reason for his benching. Harper had been battling a quad injury, though. He finished 0-for-3 on the day.
Kevin Frandsen replaced Harper, and he grounded out in the ninth inning to trim the Cardinals' lead to one.
The Cardinals were led by Tony Cruz, who went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.
Anthony Rendon led the Nationals in hitting, with a 2-for-4 effort that included a run batted in. However, he committed a costly throwing error in the second inning that allowed three runners to score.
Lance Lynn notched the win for the Cardinals on the mound in 5.2 innings of work, allowing just one run. He also struck out five batters. Trevor Rosenthal allowed a run in the ninth but held on for his fifth save.
Jordan Zimmermann took the loss for the Nationals, allowing four runs in seven innings. Only one of them was earned, though, because of Rendon's throwing error.