Nationals 9 - 5 White Sox
Final/14
  for this game

Nationals vie to stay focused in Chicago

Jun 24, 2011 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals haven't lost much on the field lately. Off the field is a different story, though. Tonight, they take the field without Jim Riggleman, as they open a three-game interleague set with the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Following a thrilling three-game sweep over the Seattle Mariners to give the Nats their 11th win in the last 12 games, Riggleman resigned as the team's manager due to contractual differences.

His contract was up at the end of the season and he wanted his option for next year picked up, but general manager Mike Rizzo declined to do that.

"If you're going to do this job you have to be committed to it and I didn't feel that way," said Riggleman. "It's been brewing for a while and I know I'm not Casey Stengel, but I know what I'm doing and I felt that it was a situation that I couldn't continue with things with the way they were."

The announcement comes as a shock as Washington had just completed a nine-game homestand with a mark of 8-1 to move over .500 with a record of 38-37.

"He had told me before the game that he was displeased with his contract situation and he said if it wasn't corrected he would resign," said Rizzo. "So, we accepted his resignation. The organization is committed to putting a winner on the field and we will stay committed to that."

The team has not yet named an interim manager but it is expected to be bench coach John McLaren. Ironically it was Riggleman who succeeded McLaren on an interim basis when the latter was relieved of his managerial duties in Seattle.

Tonight, Jordan Zimmerman will take the ball for the Nats, as he tries to post his 10th straight quality start, a streak that would tie a Washington record set by Livan Hernandez in 2005.

Zimmerman, who has never faced the White Sox, won his third straight decision on Saturday against Baltimore, surrendering two runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings to run his record to 5-6 on the year to go along with a 3.08 ERA.

Chicago, meanwhile, will counter with righty Edwin Jackson, who hasn't won since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers back on May 22. Jackson lost in Arizona on Friday, as he allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 frames to fall to 4-6 while raising his ERA to 4.47.

This will be Jackson's first-ever start versus the Nats.

Chicago won its 17th straight interleague series on Wednesday when it took the rubber match of its Windy City Series with the Cubs, 4-3. A.J. Pierzynski plated two runs with his first triple in over two years, while Jake Peavy made a successful return from the 15-day disabled list to get the win.

Brent Lillibridge also was credited with a pair of RBI for the White Sox, but Paul Konerko went 0-for-3 and had his home run streak stopped at five games.

Peavy (3-1), who landed on the DL for the second time this season with a strained right adductor earlier in the month, gave up three runs, seven hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Tonight's matchup will also be the first for White Sox slugger Adam Dunn against his former team. Dunn played the last two years for the Nationals before signing a four-year, $56 million deal with Chicago this past winter. He, though, is hitting just .175 with 29 RBI in 64 games.

The White Sox swept a three-game set from the Nats last year.






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