Nats' Riggleman resigns over contract

Nationals manager Jim Riggleman abruptly resigned from one of the hottest teams in baseball yesterday, saying he believed the franchise wasn't committed to him for the long term.

Riggleman quit because the Nationals weren't prepared to pick up the option on his contract for next year, further reinforcing his feeling that he was merely a placeholder manager until the team could find someone better.

"It's been brewing for a while," Riggleman said in a clubhouse that went from festive after completing a sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 1-0 win. "I know I'm not Casey Stengel, but I do feel like I know what I'm doing. It's not a situation where I felt like I should continue on such a short lease."

His decision caught the franchise by surprise. General manager Mike Rizzo said he'll announce today who will manage the team this weekend during a road series against the Chicago White Sox.

"Jim told me pregame today that if we wouldn't pick up his option, then he wouldn't get on the team bus today," Rizzo said. "I felt that the time wasn't right for me to pick up the option, and certainly today's conversation put to me in the way it was put to me, you certainly can't make that decision in a knee-jerk reaction. It's too big of a decision."

Riggleman's version of events was slightly different. He said he requested that he and Rizzo have "a conversation" about his contract when the team arrived in Chicago. Regardless, Riggleman said he would have resigned had that conversation not resulted in some sort of contract security.

"I just felt if there's not going to be some type of commitment, then there obviously never will be," Riggleman said.

The Nationals have won 11 of 12 and are above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2005.

Giants 2, Twins 1: Tim Lincecum (6-6) struck out 12 in seven superb innings for host San Francisco. He gave up three hits, walked two and never allowed a runner past second base. -- AP