WASHINGTON -- Yes, that was Bryce Harper, not a mirage, in the Washington Nationals clubhouse, ready to return from the disabled list. Manager Davey Johnson wanted to be sure. "I went in there and said, Is that really you? Are you OK? Are you ready to go?" Johnson said. "He shook my hand and said Im ready. It seemed like I hadnt seen him in half a year. It seems that long." The 20-year-old sparkplug of a slugger was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list Monday, following his recovery from a knee injury that stemmed from a collision with the Dodger Stadium fence. Harper missed 31 games with bursitis, diagnosed after he reinjured the left knee several times after he kept trying to play for two weeks following the mishap in Los Angeles on May 13. He pronounced himself fit after going 4 for 11 with a double, a triple and a home run during a four-game rehab assignment last week with Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg. "A little swelling, but not much," Harper said. "Nothing to be cautious about. I feel good, and its to the point where I want to play." Harper said he will wear padding to protect the knee. He was in the starting lineup, batting third and playing left field for the homestand opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Nationals were 25-19 when Harper played, 16-21 when he didnt. That added up to a middling 41-40 mark at the halfway point for a consensus preseason pick to repeat as NL East champions. He was batting .287 with 12 homers and 23 RBIs when he went on the DL. "Not only his bat, but I think the energy he brings, he takes a lot of the focus and hes a competitor," Johnson said. "Just to have that 20-year-old energy running around 100 per cent, Im sure hes still probably going to run into the wall, Im sure hes going to dive headfirst. ... I dont want to put a damper on that. Thats who he is, and thats how he plays the game, and thats great." The return of Harper was the last thing the struggling Brewers needed. Milwaukee arrived in Washington on a five-game losing streak. "Well see after the series how bad of a break it is. ... What it does is it adds a guy who can drive the ball out of the ballpark," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "He can hit any pitch, and you have to be really careful with how you pitch him." Harpers return puts Johnson closer to the lineup envisioned at the start of the year, except that Anthony Rendon has replaced the demoted Danny Espinosa at second base. All thats left is for catcher Wilson Ramos to return from a left hamstring injury. Ramos was scheduled to catch seven innings at Potomac on Monday and could return to the major league club as early as Thursday. Johnson moved Rendon from second to seventh in the batting order to create a left-right-left-right-left top of the order consisting of Denard Span, Jayson Werth, Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche. "Its all about matchups late in the ballgame that you want to create," Johnson said. NOTES: Johnson said LHP Ross Detwiler had a good bullpen session Monday and is on pace to start Wednesday as scheduled. Detwiler had stiffness in his lower back after his last start. ... The Nationals optioned RHP Erik Davis to Triple-A Syracuse to make room for Harper. Nike Air Max 97 Sale . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Clearance Nike Air Max 97 .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.fakeairmax97wholesale.com/ .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Nike Air Max 97 Online . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. 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The Silver Ferns showed plenty of guts but finished without any glory, edged 49-45 on Thursday by Australia in the fourth and final Constellation Cup Test in Invercargill.The Diamonds were already assured of retaining the trophy for the sixth time in seven years, after winning the first and third Tests by 12-goal margins.But the Kiwis rediscovered some of the fighting spirit which won them the second Test 53-51, closing to within two with a late turnover and less than a minute remaining.They couldnt maintain the run to the final whistle, leaving coach Janine Southby regretting lost chances.I felt we had opportunities, and we could have actually taken it.Unfortunately, we just didnt have the connections on attack and the confidence to let the ball go forward at times, and that really hurt us.After bossing the midcourt in their 62-50 third Test win, the Australians were forced to work much harder at Stadium Southland.Retiring Diamonds captain Clare McMeniman, who partnered goal keeper Sharni Layton in the Australian circle, said the relatively low-scoring match was testament to strong defence from both teams.It was a very defensive game at both ends of the court and there were passages where the ball was coming up and back with no goals scored, she said.The defensive pressure the Silver Ferns put on tonight was pretty phenomenal. They were having a fly at the ball, confusing space, and they were doing a great job.But for much of the first quarter, it looked as though the Diamonds were going to pick up where they left off in Auckland.Sharni Layton and Clare McMeniman shut down the circle, and pressure outside from Gabi Simpson and Kim Ravailllion forced a disjointed feed into Silver Ferns shooters Bailey Mes and Te Paea Selby-Rickit.ddddddddddddThe Kiwis battled to stay in touch as Caitlin Bassett and Gretel Tippett shot 100 per cent to give the Australians a 13-9 lead after 15 minutes.A much tighter Silver Ferns through-court defence slowed down the Diamonds quick feed into the towering Bassett in the second quarter, with goal keeper Anna Harrison proving particularly effective in generating turnover ball with a series of deflections.Centre Shannon Francois and wing defence Laura Langman ramped up the defensive pressure on the circle edge, but the Australians proved patient in resetting their attack and opened out to a six-goal lead.However, the introduction of Maria Tutaia for Selby-Rickit kickstarted something of a renaissance for the Kiwis, who reduced the Australian lead to 22-19 at halftime.Tutaia, still finding form and fitness after a two-month injury break, shot eight from 10 for the spell, her trademark long bomb proving remarkably effective after such a long break.The Diamonds also made a switch at goal attack midway through the second quarter, but Natalie Medhurst proved ineffective, and Gretel Tippett returned for the third spell.Bassett again shouldered the bulk of the shooting duties, sinking 13 from 13 as the Australians took the spell 14-13 to lead 36-32 at the three-quarter mark.The Kiwis shared the final quarter 13-13 with the Diamonds, scrapping all the way to the final whistle but unable to generate the crucial final turnover. 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