(AP)

After watching ace Stephen Strasburg leave Friday night's start with a strained right oblique — an ailment Strasburg later admitted has been nagging him over his past two starts and may have been furthered by attempting to pitch through it — the Washington Nationals have decided to play it a little safer with all-star Bryce Harper.

Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider first reported on Saturday that the team was planning on placing their 20-year-old outfielder on the 15-day DL so that he can fully recover from the left knee bursitis he's been dealing with since crashing into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium back on May 13. That move is now official, which means Roger Bernadina will continue receiving the bulk of the playing time in left field until Jayson Werth returns from his hamstring injury next week

In retrospect, it's a move the Nationals probably wish they had made right away to protect Harper from himself. He was clearly struggling through that ailment, not to mention the nasty ingrown toenail, but talked his way into the lineup just about everyday over the next two weeks. However, last Sunday Harper was given a day of rest and we've yet to see him since. That means the DL decision will be retroactive to May 26.

We've seen this scenario play out a time or two before. It's the one where a parent, sibling or all-around good citizen catches a foul ball and then hands it to a young child only to watch the prized new possession get launched back on to the field or on to the heads of fans seated below.

That is always how it ends, too. Always. And it never stops being funny, because the kids don't know any better and their elders never seem to learn from past mistakes of others. Kids like to throw things. When you hand them something they can throw, like a baseball, for example, they're going to throw it every single time.

We saw it again at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon during the Cubs victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. On this occasion, a really cool fan seated in the upper deck caught a foul ball and without hesitation decided to give it to the young boy a couple rows away who excitedly brought his glove to the ballpark. Terrific gesture, no doubt. But poor, poor execution, because the young fan's first instinct was to fire up his right arm and toss it down below.

This kid was really ready to let loose, too. He brought the arm all the way back and started to come forward with some serious velocity. However, thanks to the quick reaction of his father, the plan was foiled. He literally reached out and snatched the ball at the precise right moment, which seemed to startle the youngster into an adorably priceless look of astonishment and then amusement.

We've seen some pretty darn creative and entertaining videobombs making the rounds lately, especially in the college baseball world. With that said, we present to you the University of Minnesota's contribution to the fad, which I believe has to rank among the very best we've seen so far.

During a recent Big Ten Tournament game against the University of Nebraska at Target Field, Golden Gophers teammates Bobby Juan, J.T. Canakes and Chris Schaaf can be clearly seen staging a dugout shaving behind head coach John Anderson as he granted an in-game interview to the Big Ten Network.

Take a look:

The only thing missing from the routine was an actual barber's chair. That keeps it from topping the relentlessly awesome efforts of the University of Cincinnati. But I do give them extra points for their creativity, their courage and their ability to avoid being caught by their coach. The latter may actually be the most impressive, but all in all this one is a beauty.

The Juice returns for season No. 6! It's almost eligible for free-agency! Stop by daily for news from the action, along with great photos, stats, video highlights and more.

There would be no Papa Grande dance in Baltimore on Friday night.

Charged to protect a 5-3 lead in the ninth, Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde gave it all back (and one extra) as the Orioles completed a dramatic ninth inning comeback. It all started with a Nick Markakis home run leading off. Adam Jones then singled and advanced to third on another single by Chris Davis. The table was set right there, but Valverde did recover to retire Matt Wieters and J.J. Hardy on popups.

That left it up to left-handed swinging Chris Dickerson, who was in the lineup for the first time in eight days after dealing with wrist soreness. His night had not been going well, either, as he stepped in 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. But all it took was one swing to turn everything around, and that's what he did by depositing Valverde's offering in the right field seats for the 7-5 walk-off winner.

After midnight Part 1: Early morning baseball has become a trend this week. In this case, the Blue Jays and Padres got there the old fashioned way: by wasting a ton of opportunities and burning through their bullpens. It took all of 17 innings (and time) to crown a winner, and it was San Diego who got it done on Jesus Guzman's walk-off single scoring Jedd Gyorko. 4-3 was your final.

After midnight Part 2: Much like the Giants-Cardinals game 24 hours earlier, the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians waited out the rain at Progressive Field to play into the wee hours of the morning. Only in this case, it's the players who have a quick turnaround on Saturday afternoon, not the umpires. Anyway, the Rays will be sleeping better (if anybody sleeps at all) as they pulled away with a 9-2 win thanks to a pair of James Loney home runs.

Night of returns: Not only did the New York Yankees get Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis back from the disabled list, ace C.C. Sabathia also rediscovered the missing velocity on his fastball on his way to a terrific start in their 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. Sabathia touched up to 94 on the gun, which was a welcomed sight after two months of consistently averaging high 80s. Not surprisingly, he matched a season high with ten strikeouts and pitched into the eighth inning for the first time since April 27.

As for Teixeria and Youkilis: They combined to go 1 for 7 with a walk and an RBI (Youkilis single in fifth).

Just like old times: Bartolo Colon has had his share of gems against the Chicago White Sox (and a couple for them) over his 16-year career. He added another on Friday, going the distance on a five-hit shutout in the A's 5-0 victory. Colon only struck out three, but threw 77 of his 106 pitches for strikes in what would best be

Update: According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Nationals manager Davey Johnson is calling Stephen Strasburg's injury a strained right oblique. It's a problem Strasburg later admitted has been nagging him for a couple starts. When he puts it that way, he should probably consider himself lucky if this doesn't cost him more than a couple starts. There's really no sense pitching through any type of discomfort, but Strasburg is determined to prove he's a workhorse on the hill. Unfortunately, that journey will be detoured again, but this is still a far better report than a potential arm injury.

Strasburg will likely be evaluated over the weekend where a timetable for his return will be determined.

Original Post: We've seen how truly great Stephen Strasburg can be when healthy. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old right-hander has found staying healthy to be the biggest challenge of his short four-year career.

That includes his latest ailment which popped up in the middle of his start against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on Friday night. The Washington Nationals ace was only able to work two innings — in which he allowed a solo home run to Freddie Freeman and struck out two — before leaving with what the team is calling a muscular issue in his lower back.

That's actually worth a huge sigh of relief considering the amount of concern that quickly built during the 45 minute gap between his departure and the team's announcement. It was fueled even more by those watching closely who noted Strasburg looked uncomfortable throughout his start and at times could be seen grimacing.

You always think the worst (surgically repaired elbow or shoulder in Strasburg's case), but that isn't to say a back injury can't be complicated. They certainly can, and as we've seen so many times they tend to be lingering and unpredictable in nature if not treated efficiently. We certainly hope that's not the case for Strasburg, but for now the news is relatively good. Getting him out of the game as quickly as they did may have saved them a number of long-term headaches both with his back and with his arm had his mechanics been altered in any way.

Kevin Youkilis (left) and Mark Teixeira (right) meet the media during their rehab assignment. (AP)Ahead of their weekend series with the rival Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees have activated some reinforcements from the disabled list. According to multiple reports, that includes all-star first baseman Mark Teixeira, who suffered a wrist injury this spring while preparing for World Baseball Classic competition, and corner infielder Kevin Youkilis, who frequently filled in for Teixeira at first before hitting the DL himself with an aggravating back ailment.

Both are back in a starting lineup — Youkilis hitting second and playing third, Teixeria hitting clean up and playing his customary first base — that finally needed a boost after dropping all four games in this week's Subway Series against the New York Mets.

Amazingly, the Yankees were doing much better than simply keeping their head above water while Teixeira, Youkilis, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez and captain Derek Jeter missed game after game with varying injuries. In fact, they were sitting atop the division along with Boston at 12 games over .500 just prior to this week's slump. Though they're now two games back, they may be poised to build on that unexpected early success as forty-percent of their missing offense returns, at least from a physical standpoint. It's hard to say what they'll get in the productivity department short-term or long-term.

Though Jason Giambi finished the Cleveland Indians 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night as the offensive hero — thanks to his three-run sixth inning homer off Bronson Arroyo — he was also involved in a head-scratching moment that was certainly good for a few laughs. At least for the non-Indians fans out there.

It came in the fourth inning after Giambi had doubled to right center, which was an interesting play in its own right. Nick Swisher, who doubled home a run just one batter earlier, was on second base but had to wait to see if Reds center fielder Shin-Soo Choo could run the ball down. He couldn't, the ball then one-hopped off the wall, but by the time Swisher could rev up the engine for his 180 foot trip from second to home, the Reds were executing a perfect relay and Brandon Phillips nailed him at home by several feet.

To set it all up, that puts the not-so-fleet of foot Giambi at second base with two outs and run producer Carlos Santana at the plate. If you think about it, even with the two out advantage (runner doesn't have to hold up on a liner) that's probably a spot where Santana would need to hit a tweener between the outfielders or a ball down the line to get Giambi home. But regardless of that, the main rule of thumb for Giambi as the baserunner here is to not take an unnecessary chance or make the third out at third base.

In other words, make good and sure the baseball gets far enough away from the catcher before trying to advance. And for goodness sake, don't even think about stealing third. It's not worth it when you're already in scoring position, and besides that there's a left-handed batter at the plate. That leaves a clear view and easy throw for Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan.

Credit the Miami Marlins when it's due, the appearance of Transformers characters Optimus Prime and Bumblebee at Wednesday night's home game against the Tampa Bay Rays was one of the cooler and more well thought out promotions they've put together in recent years and especially since moving to their new ballpark.

The most awesome part, of course, is what you see above. The two larger than life machines — who will be back on the big screen for Transformers 4 next summer — were on hand to accompany a lucky young fan from the Give Kids the World Foundation for a very special ceremonial first pitch. That honor went to Timothy Stahlsmith, who as you can see showed off some pretty solid mechanics as he rocked and fired to young Marlins starter Jose Fernandez.

You also may have noticed that Timothy had no qualms throwing inside, which is impressive for a young pitcher. Then again, I wouldn't hesitate to back a hitter off the dish either with protection like that standing around me. Maybe Zack Greinke should look into the legalities of that set up.

Both characters then stuck around to take photos with fans throughout the rest of game, which we're sure was a thrill for the those young and old in attendance.

Overall a very cool experience, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed about one thing. You'll have to excuse my lack of perspective this one time, but I believe Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria actually missed a huge opportunity while he was on a little roll here.