On Baker's 1,800th win, the sun in Oakland and Harper's return

OAKLAND, Calif. - Dusty Baker didn't realize it until he was informed after the fact. But once the Nationals manager learned he had won his 1,800th career game Friday night, he - and others around him - couldn't help but appreciate the significance.

"Now you think about it." Baker said. "My son was like: 'Dad, that's a lot of wins.' Chris Speier and the coaches were like: 'That's an awful lot of wins.' Now you start thinking about: Well, you might as well continue and get to 2,000. You start thinking about how long it would take."

Feel free to read into that as much (or as little) as you like. Baker, who isn't signed beyond this season, clearly wants to manage again in 2018. For now, the soon-to-be 68-year-old is concentrating on trying to fill in the last empty box on his career resume: managing a World Series champion.

"That's what I'm focusing on," he said. "That's why I came here. That's why I'm kind of downplaying some of the numbers and who I'm passing. Because it's secondary to what our goals are and what we have to do, what I want to do."

Baker is only the 16th manager in major league history to reach 1,800 wins. He could move into 14th place by season's end if he passes both Bruce Bochy (1,812 and struggling this year with the Giants) and Lou Piniella (1,835). Only 10 managers have ever won 2,000 games, and all are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

* Adam Lind is starting in left field this afternoon, his second appearance there this week after going nearly seven years without so much as spending an inning in the outfield.

With Bryce Harper serving the final game of his suspension and with 38-year-old Jayson Werth getting a well-deserved opportunity to serve only as designated hitter, Baker had no choice but to use a non-outfielder in left today.

It'll be a significant challenge, not only for Lind but for fellow outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Brian Goodwin, who will be battling the notoriously difficult afternoon sun at Oakland Coliseum.

"I talked to all of them," Baker said. "I talked to Lind. I talked to Taylor. I talked to Goodwin. And I talked to (Wilmer) Difo. I told them to go outside, because this is the worst sun field almost in America. You've got sun in left field early. You've sun in the middle of the game in center. And then you've got sun for the rest of the afternoon that sits right over the stadium in right field. This is a very, very, tough sun field."

Baker would know; he spent the final two seasons of his playing career with the Athletics and appeared in 90 games in the outfield.

Stephen Drew also is in today's lineup, starting at third base to give Anthony Rendon a break. It's Drew's first appearance in the field since April 11, when he suffered a hamstring injury.

Baker said Drew is scheduled to DH in Sunday's series finale, giving him two consecutive days with multiple at-bats.

* Harper will rejoin the Nationals later tonight and will be back in the lineup Sunday afternoon in his customary spot in right field, batting third.

The slugger has spent his brief suspension back home in Las Vegas, apparently working on his swing with his father, Ron.

"I know he's working," Baker said. "He went home to work. Work with his dad, work out. I'm not worried about him just lounging. He'll be back tomorrow, and I plan on him being in the lineup tomorrow."

* Chris Heisey continues to get treatment on his ruptured right biceps tendon. The plan, according to the Nationals, is for trainers to try to get the swelling out of Heisey's arm - it remains black and blue - before he'll re-ramp up baseball activities. The veteran outfielder was pulled off a rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg after only two games.