Baker won’t return as Nationals manager

Dusty Baker is done as manager of the Washington Nationals after two seasons, two National League East titles and zero playoff series victories.

“Our expectations have grown,” general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday on a conference call. “Winning a lot of regular-season games and winning divisions are not enough. Our goal is to win a world championship and, to that end, we made the decision late last night.”

Rizzo declined to say why he believes Baker, 192-132 with Washington, can’t help reach that goal.

The Detroit Tigers hired Ron Gardenhire as manager, bringing the longtime Minnesota Twins skipper back to the AL Central on a three-year contract. Gardenhire, 59, managed Minnesota from 200214, going 1,068-1,039 and winning the division six times. He was voted AL Manager of the Year in 2010 and is one of 10 managers to win at least 1,000 games with one team. He was the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season . ... The Tigers are declining their $16-million option on right-hander Anibal Sanchez . ... The Nationals announced that second baseman Daniel Murphy had knee surgery. ... Former infielder David Bell is coming back to the San Francisco Giants as vice president of player development.