Did Bryce Harper just rescue the Nationals from their horrible skid?

After 32 days away, Bryce Harper is finally back with the Washington Nationals tonight. And just how did he mark the resumption of his sophomore season?

Bryce Harper isn’t wasting any time in getting his sophomore year off to a fiery start.

Stephen Strasburg, known better for his prowess on the mound, contributed to his own win yesterday when he hit his first career home run against the Baltimore Orioles.

I kid, I kid — it really is nice to see the Nationals getting so excited about anything, especially considering that their recent hot streak (nine wins in their last ten games) has unfortunately coincided with a similar streak by the team they are chasing in the standings.

Now, I’ve never met Bryce Harper, the Nationals’ next big thing. But based exclusively on things I’ve read, Harper seems like kind of a jerk.

As the toasty summer finally begins its comforting descent into autumn, we’re confronted with a leisure-time question: what to do about the 28 remaining Nats home games? The weather’s getting nicer, but the baseball’s getting nasty. Last night, more than 21,000 enjoyed a 77-degree evening at RFK, but spent it watching the tattered remains of a Nats pitching staff get knocked around the yard in a 9-6 loss. With AAA-level baseball being played at RFK,…

If you head on over to the District’s official website, you’d be faced with the usual fare — links for residents and visitors, the day’s news and press releases, and online services. But starting today, the website took on a promotional attitude, featuring a banner with a picture of a baseball diamond and the logo for the Washington Nationals along with a title stating, “The Southeast Stadium Is a Home Run for DC.” Below that…

(Editor’s Note: And for the first part of our Nationals opening day coverage, we start outside the stadium.) As 46,000 anxious baseball fans filed slowly into Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium for the Nationals’ long-awaited return to the District, 100 students, parents and activists protested the state of the city’s schools. Standing behind a banner that boldly read “Millions for Stadiums, Peanuts For Schools,” they denounced schools in disrepair and falling behind in most education…