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. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Brandon-Lafell-Jersey/ . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Jeff-Driskel-Jersey/ . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Hats/ . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Kevin-Huber-Jersey/ . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Keivarae-Russell-Jersey/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. The double thump of foot hitting ball and then ball hitting hand. A perfect bounce. A race for the end zone barely won.A blocked field goal in the fourth quarter against Ohio State changed Penn States season. The Nittany Lions have not lost since and Happy Valley is happier than its been with its football team in the five years since a scandal shook the program and the school.Winning might not cure everything, but it certainly makes it easier to shift the focus away from lawsuits , statues and how best to commemorate anniversaries . For the first time in the post-Paterno, post-scandal era, the Nittany Lions are championship contenders. No. 8 Penn State (10-2, No. 7 CFP) makes its first appearance in the Big Ten championship game Saturday.The communitys been through a lot. This is a place where the football program really has always been stable, junior linebacker Jason Cabinda said this week. It was tough for the community to see us kind of fall off a bit. To finally see us kind of arrive again, I think its been huge.At the very least the game against No. 6 Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) in Indianapolis will determine which team goes to the Rose Bowl. Penn State has not won the Big Ten or played in the Rose Bowl since 2008. It could also send a team to the College Football Playoff.Paterno was fired in 2011 after Jerry Sandusky, his former longtime assistant was arrested for sexually abusing children. Penn State football was sanctioned by the NCAA in 2012 and has been digging out since. The Nittany Lions had three straight 7-6 seasons before this years resurgence under third-year coach James Franklin, who got a vote of confidence from athletic director Sandy Barbour earlier this season amid speculation about his job security.Franklin has deflected most questions this week about where he and Penn State have been.I do think its significant that were at a time in our history where people are talking about what we are, what we currently are, what Penn State is, he said.And it all started with that blocked field-goal attempt against Ohio State on a chilly late October night in State College, Pennsylvania.Penn State had chipped a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit down to four, but the Buckeyes were looking to add another three with a 45-yard field goal with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions at that point had only managed a couple sustained drives against the Buckeyes defense.The game drew a massive white-out crowd to Beaver Stadium, but the energy was relatively subdued throughout. Penn State fans were hopeful of an upset but not optimistic. Penn State came into the game 4-2, a three-touchdown underddog to the Buckeyes.dddddddddddd The Nittany Lions had not won a game like this in years.Ohio State had dawdled before sending kicker Tyler Durbin and the field-goal team on the field to try to extend the fourth-quarter lead. By the time Durbin had stepped back into position, there were 4 seconds left on the play clock. Penn State defensive back Marcus Allen was 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. At the snap he broke toward the line, slipped through a crease on the left side, and leapt high with both arms raised.Cabinda, who was lined up slightly to the right of the center, heard what happened before he saw it.Really, all I remember was just the double thump and seeing Grant (Haley) scoop the ball and take off, Cabinda said.The bounce of a football is just about the most unpredictable thing in sports. Picking up the ball as it bounces around like an excited toddler is one part hand-eye coordination and two parts good fortune.Allen blocked the ball down and to the left. It bounced once, twice and a third time, and then Haley, who had lined up on the far left, cradled it on the run. The defensive back had about a 5-yard head lead on Ohio State holder Cameron Johnston when they both broke into a sprint.Grants one of the fastest players on our team, quarterback Trace McSorley said. Once I saw him get the ball I knew he was going to be able to take it all the way.Well, it wasnt quite so easy. Johnston, the Australian rules football player turned punter, has got wheels.I mean their kicker is probably one of the fastest kickers Ive seen, star running back Saquon Barkley said.Johnston closed and dove for Haley at the 15, grabbing at his waist but sliding off. Haley stumbled into the end zone and Beaver Stadium erupted in a way it has not in forever.Penn State has been one of the best teams in college football since that moment. The Nittany Lions dont look back on that block as the turning point of the season, but there is no denying that beating Ohio State was worth a lot more than beating Maryland or Minnesota.To kind of see how much that win impacted not only our team, but the entire community here at State College and Penn State, I think it really opened our eyes to how impactful Penn State football is just among the Penn State community. How much people do care about it, McSorley said. It made us appreciate everything we have here that much more and made us work harder.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP----More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Youth NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys White NFL Jerseys Cheap Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Jerseys NFL China ' ' '