The Manny Acta watch is on Day Whatever. His job continues to be on the line and according to the Nationals front office, he will be evaluated on a series by series basis. What confidence they give this man! Seriously, of course changes need to be made to this team. But firing Acta will not immediately improve the team. It may not even improve the team next season. Simply, there is no one out there who can say he's a good or bad manager. He's being evaluated as a miracle manager. That's not the way to run a baseball team.
So now that the worst team in baseball beat the hottest team, does that mean he buys an extra day? Series? Do we chalk it up as a win if they take one of three? Maybe not as they beat Chien-Ming Wang.
If the front office were baseball smart, and it should be after Jim Bowden left, Acta should keep his job through this season. Call up the best minor leaguers in September and see how they stack up against major league competition. By best, I mean the players who are major league ready, so Stephen Strasburg can stay down too, if he still needs tinkering in the minors. While not the best way to evaluate Acta, it's better than canning him now. Jim Riggleman is not a miracle worker either. Unless you can convince a Joe Torre type to take over the team, no manager can turn this team around.
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