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Dusty excused from game due to death in family

Nationals manager Dusty Baker will not manage Washington's game on Wednesday due to a death in his family, the team announced.

Bench coach Chris Speier will manage in Baker's place. The Nationals play the rubber game of their series against the Mets at Nationals Park at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Baker has managed Washington to an 86-59 record this season, his first with the team. The Nationals led the National League East by nine games over the Mets entering play Wednesday.

David Adler is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @_dadler.