MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service, MASN has got all the bases covered.
Get the latest breaking news direct to your phone with our mobile texting service.
After one of the strangest 24-hour stretches in Nationals history, was there a more fitting way for the Nationals to keep winning than this?
They'd watched manager Jim Riggleman resign Thursday, leaving the team after they'd won 11 of 12 games, and boarded a plane for Chicago not knowing who would manage their first game against the White Sox, let alone the rest of their season. By Friday afternoon, they'd learned bench coach John McLaren would run the team at least for the weekend - and he got ejected in his first game as interim manager. He also made contact with umpires during an eighth-inning argument, meaning there's a chance the Nationals could play for their third manager in as many days on Saturday if McLaren is suspended.
They took a 3-0 lead, only to blow three saves as the game stretched into the 14th inning. But the Nationals scored four unearned runs in the 14th, winning for the 12th time in 13 games and pulling with 3 1/2 games of the Braves for the National League wild card.
It's a clear sign that the Nationals aren't going to cash out on their season with the continual changes in the manager's office. Players said on Thursday afternoon that nothing would change, and the Nationals backed that up with a stirring win in an American League ballpark, where they've typically had little success. They're 39-37 now, and with Davey Johnson likely on the way to manage the team, they might be putting together something memorable.
