The Nationals have named bench coach John McLaren as their interim manager, reports Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). McLaren is just a temporary hire, however, as CSNWashington's Mark Zuckerman reports the Nats are still looking for an interim manager to run the club for the remainder of the season as Washington tries to adjust after Jim Riggleman's sudden resignation.
McLaren holds a 68-88 record as a Major League manager, running the Mariners from July 2007 to June 2008 in the wake of another abrupt managerial resignation (Mike Hargrove). Ironically, McLaren's replacement in Seattle was none other than Riggleman, who was then serving as McLaren's bench coach.
Washington is expected to have a new manager in place by as soon as Monday, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Third-base coach Bo Porter and Triple-A manager Randy Knorr are candidates and Ladson points out that Bobby Valentine was a finalist for the Nationals' job before the 2010 season. McLaren, as Zuckerman noted, isn't being considered as a manager beyond this weekend's series with the White Sox.
