Bryce Harper guns out Ryan Braun with terrific throw from right field

At least Bryce Harper isn’t letting the Washington Nationals’ struggles hold him back.

The Nats are 19-27 since July 1 and have slipped to five games back of the New York Mets for first place in the NL East with six weeks left in the season.

Don’t blame Harper though. He’s the clear favorite for the MVP award in the NL, and it’s easy to see why when he’s making plays in the outfield like this one from Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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In the first inning with the Brewers already up 2-0, Ryan Braun got a hold off a Jordan Zimmerman fastball and laced a line drive deep to right field for what he thought would be extra bases.

Let’s just say Harper’s thoughts differed slightly.

Harper fielded the ball after it bounced off the bottom of the wall. A step off the warning track, he turned and fired a perfect throw to Ian Desmond at second base who easily tagged out a sliding Braun.

To borrow a phrase from Dustin Pedroia: that’s what a laser show looks like.

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It’s a shame Harper’s remarkable year – Grantland’s Jonah Keri called it the best age-22 season since Ted Williams – will be overshadowed by team disappointment, unless they can turn things around quick.

Washington ended up winning Sunday’s game 9-5. They’ll need a few more comeback performances down the stretch to push past the Mets and get into the playoffs. A few more lasers from Harper’s arm in the outfield and off his bat at the plate can only help, and we know he’s more than happy to do it.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr