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Wire Taps: Bud Black to interview with Nationals today + Dusty Baker in D.C.

The Washington Nationals talked to Dusty Baker on Wednesday and today it is reportedly Bud Black's turn to talk about the job opening in the nation's capital. The Nats' manager search and one big birthday today. Happy Birthday, Mr. Lerner....

By Patrick Reddington

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San Francisco Chronicle writer Bruce Jenkins reported on Wednesday afternoon that veteran manager Dusty Baker was in the nation's capital to interview for the manager's job.

MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported later that the one-time Giants, Cubs and Reds' skipper spent five hours talking with the Nats and talked to the Lerner family as well.

Washington Post writer James Wagner reported that San Diego Padres' manager Bud Black, "... is slated to interview with the Nationals on Thursday," and former Minnesota Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire, "is expected to be interviewed next week, according to people familiar with the situation."

FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reported on Twitter that Black is the, "... preferred choice of some in #Nationals’ front office," but noted that there is a "long list of candidates," and, "ownership is unpredictable."

The Nationals reportedly met with Phil Nevin, who managed the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in 2014-2015, earlier this week and Rosenthal has reported that Alex Cora, will interview with the Nats as well.

San Francisco Giants' bench coach Ron Wotus, Chicago Cubs' bench coach Dave Martinez and Rick Renteria have all been mentioned in connection with the Nationals' search.

But the big news on Wednesday was that Max Scherzer will be on tv on Friday night in the FOX Sports studio for the start of the ALCS... and they called him "Mr. 2 No-Hitter" in their tweeted announcement:

I like Johnny Vander Meer's nickname better: Johnny 'Double No-Hit' Vander Meer...

But when I said Scherzer on FOX was the big news, I may have been wrong, because the real big news of the day is that Nationals' Managing Principal owner Theodore N. "Ted" Lerner turns 90 today.

• "We hesitate to tell you it's the 90th birthday tomorrow of Washington icon Ted Lerner. So please keep it quiet." - "Happy Birthday, Ted (and Albert) - Ethan Rothstein, Bisnow DC

Happy birthday, Mr. Lerner. #SignGreinke #Managerialexperienceiskey #stopbunting?

NATS BEAT: Roster reviews + Manager search updates

• "The Nationals are interviewing former longtime manager Dusty Baker on Wednesday, while interviews with two other former managers are expected soon." - "Nationals to interview Dusty Baker, Ron Gardenhire, Bud Black" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "Besides talking to general manager Mike Rizzo, Baker met with the Lerner family, the club's majority owner. The meeting lasted almost five hours. A source indicated it was 'a family affair.'" - "Nationals interviewing Dusty Baker, Bud Black" - Bill Ladson, MLB.com

• "Werth has always been something of a unique ballplayer, a late bloomer who has defied conventions plenty of times during his career. If he can keep himself healthy, perhaps he does have a bounce-back season in him." - "Roster review: Jayson Werth" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Today, Drew Ward will be at third base and Spencer Kieboom will start at catcher. John Simms will pitch three innings Thursday." - "Salt River wins first game, Nats rank high in ESPN fan voting" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com

• Scottsdale 13-3 over Salt Rivera - Spencer Kieboom - 0 for 3, 1 BB, 1 K; Drew Ward - 0 for 2, 2 BB, 1 K - Arizona Fall League Box Score

• "The Nationals have the foundation for a strong infield if health isn’t a factor." - "Nationals positional review, part 3: The infield" - James Wagner, The Washington Post

• "Zimmerman, like others in the Nationals’ lineup, struggled through most of April. Then once he did get hot in May, he suffered yet another in a long list of nagging injuries..." - "Roster review: Ryan Zimmerman" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "Injury doomed Denard Span’s season, too. It started with promise when he hustled back from offseason core surgery and was hitting better than .300 with more power than usual by June." - "Nationals positional review, part 4: The outfield" - Chelsea Janes, The Washington Post

NATIONAL(S) BEAT: Manager chatter; Span's QO + more

• "The Nats have met or will meet with former Padres manager Bud Black and former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, as well. Black's meeting is said to be this week, as well." - "Nats, targeting some of best, biggest names, meet with Dusty Baker" - Jon Heyman, CBSSports.com

• "Cora reportedly also will interview for the Nationals and Marlins’ openings." - "Former major leaguer Alex Cora to interview for Padres’ manager job" - Dennis Lin, SanDiegoUnionTribune.com

• "Former Reds manager Dusty Baker interviewed for the vacant Washington Nationals job on Wednesday, according to several reports." - "Reports: Nats interview Dusty Baker for managerial opening" - C. Trent Rosencrans, Cincinnati.com

• "Gardenhire interviewed with the Padres recently and will interview with the Nationals, as well." - "Ron Gardenhire is a candidate for Padres and Nationals managing jobs" - Jon Heyman, CBSSports.com

• "So what about Span? The center fielder delivered exactly what the Nationals hoped for when they shipped out Alex Meyer to acquire him from the Twins before the 2013 season." - "Poll: Should The Nationals Make Denard Span A Qualifying Offer?" - Jeff Todd, MLB Trade Rumors

• "After a solid first season in D.C., Span slashed .302/.355/.416 in 2014 and stole 31 bases. Given his modest price tag, Span has provided excellent value." - "MLB rumors roundup for October 14" - ESPN.com

• "But when Werth found out he was the Fed president, Bernanke said he perked up. Perhaps improbably, Werth had a very specific question: 'What’s the deal with quantitative easing anyway?' Bernanke said." - "Bernanke: Even baseball players want to talk monetary policy with him" - Deirdre Fernandes, The Boston Globe

• "The Sox started the season with backup Ryan Hanigan as their starter. Sandy Leon, a fringy big leaguer obtained from the Washington Nationals on March 30, was the backup." - "Red Sox will benefit from young catching depth" - Peter Abraham, The Boston Globe

NL EAST UPDATES: Phillies' GM; Braves Battery; Collins on gravy; Bowa's second round

• Phillies: "Andy MacPhail took over as the president of the Phillies, the team announced in a press release." - "Andy MacPhail officially takes control of Phillies" - Ryan Lawrence, Philadelphia Daily News

• Mets: "No matter what happens in Game 5 between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, manager Terry Collins believes the season has been a success." - "Mets manager Terry Collins: Game 5 is 'gravy' after successful season" - Adam Rubin, Mets Blog - ESPN

• Marlins: "Larry Bowa is getting a second interview for the Marlins' managerial post, according to multiple reports and a source." - "Larry Bowa gets second Marlins interview" - Joe Frisaro, MLB.com

• Braves: "Along with announcing on Tuesday afternoon that this area will be named The Battery Atlanta, the Braves revealed some of the restaurants that will be part of the development." - "Atlanta Braves announce The Battery of Atlanta" - Mark Bowman, braves.com

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