The Philadelphia Phillies have put outfielder Bryce Harper into the leadoff spot for Thursday night's game against the Washington Nationals in hopes of putting a spark back into the top of their lineup.

Since June 4, when Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending knee injury, Phillies leadoff hitters have ranked last in batting average (.115), on-base percentage (.220), slugging percentage (.154) and OPS (.374). They also have just one extra-base hit in 13 games.

McCutchen had a .378 on-base percentage and .457 slugging percentage before his injury and was hitting .256 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs.

Harper hit leadoff 16 times with the Nationals in 2013 and occasionally in 2018 when he was struggling.

This season, his first with the Phillies after signing a 13-year, $330 million contract, Harper is batting .243 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs.

The Phillies, who were swept in a doubleheader by the Nationals on Wednesday, have lost three straight and seven of their past nine games. They trail the Atlanta Braves by four games in the NL East standings.

ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.

Midway through the MLB season, the races for the 2019 awards are starting to take shape. Who is positioned to be at the center of this year's MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year battles? ESPN's David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle use Doolittle's Awards Index formula and their own takes to break down who has the lead right now, whom to watch out for and what will happen in the second half.

Jump to ... MVP races | Cy Young battles | Top rookies

NL MVP

Awards Index leaders

1. Cody Bellinger

2. Christian Yelich

3. Josh Bell

4. Max Muncy

5. Freddie Freeman

Hypothetical odds: Yelich +150, Bellinger +175, Nolan Arenado +800, Ronald Acuna Jr. +800, Field +350

How close is this race? The race is close, though I suspect Bellinger, as the shiny new thing, would win fairly easily in a right-now vote. Breakout stars always have a little extra allure and Bellinger has a sizable lead in both of the two leading flavors of WAR. That lead has been gradually shrinking, however, as Bellinger's numbers have returned to the land of the rational. Yelich, meanwhile, just keeps on slugging along with remarkable consistency. -- Bradford Doolittle

Why the numbers favor ... Bellinger. There really isn't much difference in the terrific batting lines of Bellinger and Yelich, which actually favors the former because of park effects. Bellinger's Dodger Stadium OPS thus far is 1.260, while he's 1.030 on the road. Dominant either way. Yelich on the other hand is at 1.606 at Miller Park -- an absurd figure -- but his road OPS (.886) is almost half of that. -- Doolittle

But the narrative belongs to ... It feels like a dead heat between Yelich and Bellinger, but I might give the slightest edge in narrative to Yelich for three reasons: (1) There's the sense that he has carried the Brewers -- or had to carry them -- a little more than Bellinger has had to carry the loaded Dodgers' offense; (2) He has a chance to lead the league in both home runs and stolen bases (the last player to do that was Chuck Klein in 1932), and while that alone isn't a reason to give a guy the MVP award, it could be a tiebreaker element in a close vote; (3) It's difficult to repeat as MVP, but Yelich has managed to raise his game to another level, which solidifies that he has become a superstar, not just a guy having a career season. -- Schoenfield

A dark horse to watch: There's a sizable gap between Yelich and Bellinger and everyone else, but let's throw some money on Anthony Rendon. He's on pace for 114 RBIs and 119 runs -- even though he missed a chunk of time. It will take the Nationals making a playoff run for him to have a chance to win, but his two-way value is something voters will love, along with that potential narrative of getting the Nationals back to the playoffs without Bryce Harper (and after the team got off to a slow start). -- Schoenfield

The bottom line: Bellinger raced out to the early lead and is maintaining a nice, front-running pace. Yelich's performance has been a bit more even, despite some road struggles. Over the past year, Yelich has hit .344/.432/.709 with 53 homers and 136 RBIs. If he keeps up that pace, and the Brewers continue to slug it out with the Cubs in the NL Central, Yelich has a great shot of passing Bellinger during the second half. -- Doolittle

With the Dodgers likely rolling to the NL West title, Bellinger may not be playing any big games in September. Yelich will, which gives him the opportunity for some late-season clutch hits that could put him over the top. -- Schoenfield

AL MVP

Awards Index leaders

1. Mike Trout

2. Alex Bregman

3. Jorge Polanco

4. Xander Bogaerts

5. Mookie Betts

Hypothetical odds: Trout -450, Francisco Lindor +700, Bregman +800, Michael Brantley +1,000, Field +750

How close is this race? It's not. Mike Trout is threatening to lap the field. The cluster behind him is tight but it also full of players -- Polanco, Bogaerts, DJ LeMahieu -- who are more likely to regress in the wrong direction than maintain their current pace. The most likely candidates to make a run at Trout are Bregman and Betts, so this may end up looking a lot like last season's chase. -- Doolittle

Why the numbers favor ... Trout. The current pace for his counting stats is 44 homers, 107 RBIs, 125 runs and 142 walks. The percentages -- .294/.462/.630 -- are pretty much right in the neighborhood of what he has done the past three years. So in addition to shining in the value metrics, his standard performance record is dominated by black ink. We can muse about what an actual career season would look like for Trout, but maybe he won't have that one unfathomable campaign that stands out. Maybe they are all career seasons. -- Doolittle

But the narrative belongs to ... Nobody yet. Bregman will get some extra credit given all the injuries in the Houston lineup. Bogaerts' great season has kind of flown under the radar. Polanco has received some attention. Yankees fans will try to argue for LeMahieu. The only narrative going is that Trout again is the best player in the league and his team is unlikely to make the postseason. -- Schoenfield

A dark horse to watch: The A's are quietly hanging around .500, about what they were doing last season when they surged in the second half. Matt Chapman was a beast in that run -- .309/.371/.591 -- and finished seventh in the MVP voting. He's arguably the best defensive player in the majors and if he has another monster second half (he's already top 10 in WAR), he could challenge Trout if the A's make another surprising playoff run.. -- Schoenfield

The bottom line: Building a narrative case appears to be the only avenue for an AL player to overtake Trout, who once again is putting up a historic season for an also-ran. But even when you fold in context, you have to consider this: Trout leads the AL in win probability added. -- Doolittle

It took a Herculean season from Mookie Betts last year to wrestle MVP honors away from Trout. Nobody is having that kind of season in the AL so far. -- Schoenfield

NL Cy Young

Awards Index leaders

1. Hyun-Jin Ryu

2. Zack Greinke

3. Max Scherzer

4. Kirby Yates

5. Josh Hader

Hypothetical odds: Ryu -180, Scherzer +220, Clayton Kershaw +1,200, Walker Buehler +1,200, Greinke +1,500, Luis Castillo +1,500, Field +1,200

How close is this race? This race is unsettled. The value metrics favor Scherzer, the traditional numbers lean toward Ryu, while Greinke is a blend of them both. This also could be a season when an elite reliever such as Hader, pitching in a pennant race, could sneak into the mix. -- Doolittle

Why the numbers favor ... Scherzer's WAR numbers far outstrip Ryu's, but you have to dig pretty deep into the contextual dirt to understand why. Ryu is close enough that his dominant traditional numbers would likely win over the majority of voters. He's on pace for a 20-2 record with a 1.26 ERA. Plus his strikeout and walk paces are surreal: 186 strikeouts against 11 walks. And he's doing all of this for the league's best team. -- Doolittle

But the narrative belongs to ... While voters have adapted in recent years to rely heavily on WAR for position players, they're less inclined to do so for pitchers (Aaron Nola, for example, had a higher Baseball-Reference WAR last year than Jacob deGrom). Ryu's 1.26 ERA and 17-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio are too insane to ignore. He'd be a unanimous winner at the moment. -- Schoenfield

A dark horse to watch: I like the idea of throwing a reliever into the mix. It would take a perfect storm of events, most notably Ryu, Scherzer and Greinke all struggling in the second half or getting injured, but Will Smith, Yates and Hader rank first, second and fourth in the NL in win probability added (Ryu is third). Yates is 26-for-26 in save opportunities with an ERA barely above 1.00. At the least, he should be in the discussion. -- Schoenfield

The bottom line: If Ryu keeps doing this, he'll win the NL Cy Young Award and garner some support for NL MVP. But he can't keep doing this, can he? If and when Ryu hits a rough patch, or even a normal one, this race will break wide-open. -- Doolittle

Ryu has yet to allow more than two runs in a game, which seems impossible to continue. He also hasn't qualified for an ERA title since 2013. Even if he stays healthy, the Dodgers will likely back off his innings as they pull away in the division. I think we'll end up with a race. -- Schoenfield

AL Cy Young

Awards Index leaders

1. Lucas Giolito

2. Justin Verlander

3. Mike Minor

4. Jake Odorizzi

5. Charlie Morton

Hypothetical odds: Giolito +250, Verlander +275, Gerrit Cole +300, Chris Sale +500, Odorizzi +600, Morton +1,200, Jose Berrios +1,200, Field +1,500

How close is this race? You can barely slip a sheet of paper between the five guys listed above. Beyond these front-runners, you also have some pitchers with strong FanGraphs WAR totals -- Matthew Boyd, Berrios, Lance Lynn, Frankie Montas and Sale. All of these players have to be considered to be in the running. The most proven gun in the holster is clearly Verlander, who has been doing this for a long time, and rates as the favorite to emerge in a close race. -- Doolittle

Why the numbers favor ... Giolito. With a double-digit K/9 rate and the league's best home run rate, Giolito has the AL's top FIP, which underscores his league-leading 2.22 ERA. His 10 wins also top the circuit, while his 95 strikeouts rank 11th. The homer rate is, of course, subject to regression, and keeping the ball in the park will be the key for Giolito to maintain his breakout season. -- Doolittle

But the narrative belongs to ... Giolito. He has been great and his riches-to-rags-to-riches story as a former top prospect who struggled mightily in the majors only to suddenly transform into an elite starter is one of the feel-good stories of the season. -- Schoenfield

A dark horse to watch: Trevor Bauer is 5-6 with a 3.41 ERA and has struggled with his control, but he's also capable of going on a big run and is likely to lead the league in innings pitched (unless Verlander does). -- Schoenfield

The bottom line: We really don't know much about how this race is going to play out. A potential young gun (Giolito) versus old gun (Verlander) would be a great narrative, but we've got a long way to go in this category. And don't discount the narrative aspects of the Twins' magical season in boosting the cases of Berrios and Odorizzi. -- Doolittle

Verlander is on pace to allow 44 home runs and yet his ERA is 2.59. Nobody has ever allowed 40-plus home runs and had an ERA under 3.00. He's the favorite given his track record, but it would seem he can't keep giving up that many home runs and keep that ERA so low. -- Schoenfield

NL Rookie of the Year

Awards Index leaders

1. Pete Alonso

2. Mike Soroka

3. Austin Riley

4. Bryan Reynolds

5. Fernando Tatis Jr.

How close is this race? Alonso is the clear front-runner, but he has nothing wrapped up at the head of what looks like a stellar rookie class in the Senior Circuit. But if the guy hits 50 homers playing for a team in the Big Apple, who is going to out-point him? -- Doolittle

The bottom line: Soroka, Riley, Tatis -- all could catch Alonso with big second halves, especially if Big Pete goes on a strikeout binge that is timed with a homer drought. At this point, it looks like it's Alonso's race to lose. -- Doolittle

If Tatis hadn't missed 34 games, it would be a great debate as Tatis' defense and baserunning make him a more valuable all-around player than Alonso. But if Alonso hits 50 home runs, it's going to be difficult to deny him, no matter Tatis' final numbers or Soroka's ERA. -- Schoenfield

AL Rookie of the Year

Awards Index leaders

1. Brandon Lowe

2. John Means

3. Adrian Sampson

4. Spencer Turnbull

5. Ty Buttrey

How close is this race? This race is a little sleepy at the moment. Most of that is because the leading performers are all mostly anonymous. It's also because the players we hyped before the season -- Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez -- have not exactly exploded out of the gate. Lowe is having a terrific season for an AL playoff contender, so, for now, he looks like the early leader. -- Doolittle

The bottom line: This race will get a lot sexier if and when Vlady and Eloy take off. They've been friends since their days growing up in the Dominican Republic, and if these two take off in the weeks to come, it'll be a great story. Jimenez could end up with the narrative edge if he helps keep the upstart White Sox on the fringes of wild-card contention. -- Doolittle

Lowe is thriving despite a 34% strikeout rate (thank you, .387 BABIP). If the strikeouts become too much to overcome, look for Vladdy in the second half. After that 13-game homerless streak to begin his career, he has hit .278/.328/.513 with seven home runs in 30 games. -- Schoenfield

The AW MD and 1984 Olympic silver medallist speaks to Tim Hutchings about her athletics career and life in the sport

The AW Podcast series kicks off with Wendy Sly talking to Tim Hutchings as the AW managing director and 1984 Olympic silver medallist shares insight into her athletics career and her life which has revolved around the sport.

“I don’t know what my life would have been like without athletics,” says Sly, who moved into publishing and team management following her elite running career.

“I’m approaching 50 years of being in the sport, which is quite scary.

“From a young girl and it being my social life, to it being my professional life, then stepping away a little bit and focusing on becoming a good publisher to then doing team management and now coming back and running AW, it has always been there.

“I love still being a part of it. It has shaped me, I suppose.”

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro will have surgery after re-fracturing his right kneecap during his victory over Denis Shapovalov at Queen's.

The world number 12 slipped as he slid for a volley in the second set and later withdrew from the tournament.

Del Potro - a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon in 2018 - has only played five events since suffering the initial fracture in Shanghai last October.

The 30-year-old was due to play at Wimbledon, which starts on 1 July.

Del Potro underwent medical exams after withdrawing from Queen's due to pain and swelling in his knee.

"The surgery will take place in the next couple of days with a date and location to be determined," said his team.

Del Potro, who beat world number 25 Shapovalov 7-5 6-4, was seeded third in the singles at the tournament and has also withdrawn from the doubles with partner and compatriot Horacio Zeballos.

World number one Naomi Osaka followed up her early French Open exit with a shock second-round loss to Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva in Birmingham.

The Japanese 21-year-old could fall in the rankings after losing 6-2 6-3.

Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty, 23, may soon replace Osaka at the top after reaching the quarter-finals.

In Mallorca, 2018 Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber beat Maria Sharapova, who missed the clay-court season after having shoulder surgery.

The German 31-year-old defeated Sharapova, who has dropped to 85th in the world rankings, 6-2 6-3.

The Mallorca Open was 32-year-old Russian Sharapova's first tournament since she withdrew from a second-round match at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy in January.

Barty beat American Jennifer Brady 6-3 6-1 and is now close to taking the world number one ranking from US Open and Australian Open champion Osaka, who was beaten by unseeded Czech player Katerina Siniakova in the French Open third round.

Osaka would have stayed top if she had reached the final in Birmingham, but if Barty wins the title she will become world number one.

"The stars have aligned a little bit for me and I think when you get those opportunities you have to do your best to take them with both hands," said Barty, who has now won nine matches in a row.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, 39, also reached the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-2 win against Chinese sixth seed Wang Qiang.

The Birmingham Nature Valley Classic and Mallorca Open are grass-court tournaments which take place in the run-up to Wimbledon.

Australian Nick Kyrgios accused a line judge of "rigging the game" and swore at the umpire in his first-round win at Queen's.

Kyrgios, 24, also berated himself for "playing Fifa until 3am" before beating Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

The world number 39 ranted at umpire Fergus Murphy after losing a set point which he claimed should have been called as a double fault.

"It couldn't have been further out. What are you doing?" he said.

Kyrgios was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike behaviour after his first tirade, although that did not stop him continuing to question the integrity of the officials and threatening to walk off court.

"The ball was this far out on the second serve. I'm going," he added.

"I'm not going to give 100% when I've got linesmen rigging the game; I don't want to play."

His other antics included peering over a fence at a changeover to watch Gilles Simon's match against Kevin Anderson on the adjacent court, trying to fist-bump with a line judge and mocking the umpire's choice of headwear.

"It's a joke, man. It's a serious joke," he said to Murphy. "Like your hat looks ridiculous, also. It's not even sunny."

Despite his angry outbursts, Kyrgios went on to win 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to set up a second-round match against Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, which will take place later on Thursday following a rain-disrupted week in west London.

Britain's Kyle Edmund was knocked out of Queen's 6-3 7-5 in the first round by Greek top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Trailing 6-3 3-3 when bad weather ended play on Wednesday, Edmund was unable to turn the match around on Thursday as British interest in the singles ended.

Edmund, 24, saved six match points before the 20-year-old Greek clinched victory with a backhand down the line.

Tsitsipas returned later to beat Jeremy Chardy 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 7-6 (7-4) and secure his place in the quarter-finals.

He will face eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime after the 18-year-old Canadian ended the challenge of Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-4 and controversial Australian Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.

Three first-round singles matches had to be completed at the start of play on Thursday after Tuesday's play was washed out and only a handful of matches were completed on Wednesday.

But the highlight on day four was the return of Andy Murray alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez after five months out following a hip operation.

The pair's match against Colombia's Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah is the fifth match on centre court at the Fever-Tree Championships in London.

Tsitsipas punishes Edmund

Edmund was making his competitive return after retiring from the French Open with a knee injury earlier this month.

The Yorkshireman did not look his sharpest in the first set on Wednesday as he struggled to cope with Tsitsipas' power and precision.

Flashes of sunshine greeted them when they returned on Thursday lunchtime as Edmund looked to make a quick start.

The world number 30 was unable to convert a break point in the seventh game and it proved costly when Tsitsipas eventually ended his resistance by taking his seventh match point when a Hawk-Eye replay showed his backhand had just clipped the line.

Champion Cilic, Anderson & Wawrinka all beaten

Croatia's defending champion and fifth seed Marin Cilic was a surprise second-round casualty, losing 6-4 6-4 to Queen's Club debutant Diego Schwartzman.

Argentine Schwartzman, 26, secured early breaks in both sets to wrap up only his third career win on grass.

Second seed Kevin Anderson, who beat Britain's Cameron Norrie in round one, lost in three sets to France's Gilles Simon.

The big-serving 33-year-old South African - last year's Wimbledon runner-up - has missed most of the season because of an elbow injury and his rustiness told as Simon ran out a 6-1 4-6 6-4 winner.

Seventh seed Stan Wawrinka was also knocked out, losing 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-2) to 37-year-old world 191 Nicolas Mahut.

Mahut will face fellow Frenchman Simon in the next round.

Britain's Andy Murray came through his first match since a career-saving hip operation with an impressive victory in the Queen's doubles.

Murray, 32, was seemingly set for retirement before having his hip resurfaced in January.

Five months later the Scot was back on court alongside Spain's Feliciano Lopez at the Fever-Tree Championships.

The pair won 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 against Colombian top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal.

"It was brilliant. I enjoyed it a lot," Murray told BBC Sport. "I was a bit slow at the beginning and got better as the match went on.

"I'm fortunate to be back playing again.

"Leading up to the match I was quite relaxed but I was a bit nervous when we started walking to the court.

"You want the nerves and the butterflies in the stomach and I had that."

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Punching the air at regular intervals and seemingly loving every minute after five months on the sidelines, Murray returned as a winner.

He was at his sharpest in the second set - executing a high backhand volley with a high degree of difficulty, and then hitting two thumping forehand returns to get the decisive break of serve.

Murray also took a tumble, to no ill-effect, and there was no sign of the on-court limp we had become so accustomed to before his surgeon worked her magic.

More soon.