Rizzo touches on several topics in DC

WASHINGTON -- General manager Mike Rizzo was at Nationals Park on Tuesday to discuss a variety of topics.

Among them, Bryce Harper, who after being asked about the atmosphere at Nationals Park on Monday, said, "[The fans] left in the seventh. That's pretty brutal, but ... I don't know. Whatever."       

Rizzo downplayed the comments.

"There's nobody that loves the fan base of Washington D.C. more than Harp," Rizzo said. "Nobody loves the city more than Harp. He stated multiple times throughout the season how much he appreciates and admires the fan base here.

"You are talking about a player after a tough loss who showed frustration. But he is a guy who loves the city. I can't say enough about the fan base. I think it's a rabid, intelligent, high baseball IQ fan base. They are the ones that urge us on and give us the energy to keep things going."

With all the talk about Mets right-hander Matt Harvey getting close to his innings limit, Rizzo said he wouldn't change a thing when it came to shutting down Stephen Strasburg, who was on an innings limit in 2012.

That year, the Nationals were on their way to winning their first National League East title when they decided to shut Strasburg down on Sept. 8 after throwing 159 1/3 innings.

"We are committed to the protocol that we have. We think it's a successful model," Rizzo said. "We continue to employ it down in the Minor Leagues and here in the big leagues to this day."