Just when the Washington Nationals were showing signs of success and stability, and just as the players were starting to talk about the growing respect for the franchise around the league, along came the surprise announcement that manager Jim Riggleman was quitting because he wasn't happy with his contract. The Nationals completed a sweep of the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon, winning 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth on Laynce Nix's sacrifice fly. They have won 11 of 12 and have moved above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2005. But no one was talking about Jason Marquis' awesome slider after general manager Mike Rizzo delivered the news to the players in the clubhouse after the game. "Very unexpected," Marquis said. "Obviously we're playing some good baseball. Obviously he was leading the ship, and things were moving along real well." Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=310623120&teams=seattle-mariners-vs-washington-nationals
