The Miami Marlins notched only two hits and a walk today against Shelby Miller and the Atlanta Braves in a 6-0 loss. It was the last straw for team owner Jeffrey Loria, who has now shocked the MLB.
Miami fired manager Mike Redmond less than three seasons since he took over as the club's skipper, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The Marlins' 16-22 start to the season was clearly not what management envisioned and it figured a change had to be made.
Bench coach Rob Leary was also dismissed on Sunday.
Redmond accumulated a 155-207 record with Miami since taking over in 2013. The club seemed to be on their way to making strides, but the slow start to 2015 suggests otherwise. Redmond and the Fish finished 62-100 in 2013 and then 77-85 in 2014.
He'll be replaced by Dan Jennings, who has been the team's general manager since late 2013, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. It was previously reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today that Jeff Conine would be the Marlins' next skipper, but that's no longer the case. The official announcement to name Jennings manager is expected to come on Monday at 11:00 a.m. ET.
However, the dismissal of Redmond does not come as a surprise. Early on in the season when the Marlins started off 3-11 with series losses to the Braves, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets and it was reported Redmond was on the hot seat. The team rebounded and climbed back to .500 when they reached 12-12 earlier this month, but they have since lost 10 of their last 14 games.
The Marlins' offense has had trouble getting in a rhythm and their pitching staff has not been good. Miami ranks 19th in runs scored (151) and 17th in team ERA (4.12), which has clearly been the bulk of the problem with their slow start. Giancarlo Stanton leads the way with 11 home runs and 36 RBIs and the next closest to him in those categories are Marcell Ozuna (three home runs) and Adeiny Hechavarria (19 RBIs). Additionally, they have only two players batting over .278 (Hechavarria and Dee Gordon).
Both the starting rotation and bullpen have endured various struggles as well and perhaps the organization believes Jennings, who last coached or managed 30 years ago (Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama), can help turn the ship around.
Jennings has been in the Marlins' front office since 2002 and it well-respected as an MLB executive. It's unknown who will replace him as the team's GM, but Heyman notes it could be either team president Michael Hill or VP/assistant general manager Mike Berger.
We'll see how another one of Loria's abrupt managerial changes will turn out this time.
