JUPITER, Fla. -- Bryce Harper saw exactly one pitch in his appearance against the Marlins on Wednesday, and he ripped that elevated changeup from Brian Sanches through the hole at second base for a seventh-inning RBI single.

That's the kind of thing that happens when you're feeling "hitterish," Harper explained.

"You wake up every morning and you're feeling hitterish and you're going to get a hit that day," Harper said. "If you get a hit every day, you're feeling hitterish, for sure. You know, you've got to wake and rake."

These little catchphrases are only a small part of what's made the Bryce Harper Show such an interesting and eye-catching part of Nationals camp. But it's long been established that the Nats intend to pull the plug on the show before Opening Day.

Harper will likely open the season in the low Minors, at Class A Hagerstown, which means that at some point soon the Nats will officially cut him from Major League camp so that he can start getting more consistent at-bats alongside his new teammates.

The Nationals haven't said when, exactly, the axe will fall on Harper, though the club is expected to make a few moves this coming weekend.

"[General Manager] Mike [Rizzo] mentioned the other day that we would probably make some cuts this weekend," manager Jim Riggleman said. "Whether or not he'd be in that first one or not, no names have been mentioned. He just said we'd cut the club down this weekend. I don't know if that's Friday or Saturday."

In the meantime, the show must go on. Harper is now batting .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.

"I feel really good up there," Harper said. "I feel really confident in myself."

Werth, Zimmerman don't make trip to Jupiter

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Nationals arrived at Roger Dean Stadium for a game against the Marlins on Wednesday with two of their biggest bats left behind in Viera.

Ryan Zimmerman was out of the lineup for the third straight day because of what is considered a mild abdominal strain. And Jayson Werth, who had originally been scheduled to make the trip, stayed back because of what manager Jim Riggleman called "general soreness" in the outfielder's legs.

"I think it's Spring Training stuff," Riggleman said of Werth's issue. "He mentioned a few days ago that he's just tight, sore. So, we're just being really precautionary with it and letting him get ready at his pace. He just referred to it as, 'My legs are tight.'"

Neither injury issue seems to be of any real concern to the Nats. Riggleman said he's expecting Werth to be good to go for Thursday's home game against the Mets. Zimmerman might also be deemed ready to play at that time.

"If he's got a little something, the bus ride wasn't going to help it," Riggleman said of Zimmerman. "I'm waiting until at least [Thursday]."

Zimmerman missed the last two weeks of 2010 with an oblique injury, but this tweak is considered unrelated.

Nats fans will enjoy some 'Coffey Time'

JUPITER, Fla. -- Nationals fans are in for a treat any time Todd Coffey gets the call from the bullpen at Nationals Park this season.

Coffey's habit of sprinting in from the 'pen became a popular part of the in-game experience at Miller Park, where Coffey spent the last two-plus seasons with the Brewers. The Brewers posted a scoreboard graphic that read "Coffey Time!" any time he got that call.

The sprints are Coffey's way of expending all his adrenaline so that, once on the mound, he can focus on the task at hand.

"I really believe it works for me," he said. "And the fans get a kick out of it."

There's no need to sprint into spring games, but Coffey, who signed a one-year deal with the Nats this winter, has looked sharp in the early going. He struck out the side in the fifth against the Marlins on Wednesday and has allowed just one hit with no walks and six strikeouts in four innings total.

"I love the opportunity here," Coffey said. "The bullpen is so open, and I knew I could help it develop and have the opportunity to pitch late in games."

Worth noting

Manager Jim Riggleman said he's received no indication that Chien-Ming Wang, who cut an intrasquad inning short because of shoulder tightness last Friday, is close to throwing off a mound again. "We're not penciling him in for anything," Riggleman said of Wang, who hasn't pitched in the bigs since July '09 because of shoulder surgery. ... Riggleman expects reliever Henry Rodriguez, who was a late arrival to camp because of visa issues, to pitch in a Grapefruit League game next week. Rodriguez threw a bullpen session Wednesday. "I've heard so much good about him that I'm just taking the reports in stride and realizing that we don't have to get him stretched out," Riggleman said. "We just need one- or two-inning stints at a time." ... Riggleman said he's looking forward to seeing potential No. 5 starter Tom Gorzelanny, who is scheduled to go two innings in a split-squad game against the Astros in Kissimmee on Thursday night, in action. Gorzelanny was limited early in camp because of walking pneumonia. "I'm not looking for him to get in there and blow people away," Riggleman said. "I just want to see him healthy and throwing."