Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington has announced his resignation from the job on Friday. Bench coach Tom Bogar will take over the managing duties on an interim basis, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks have relieved general manager Kevin Towers of his duties on Friday, they announce. Even though they have relieved Towers of his general managing duties, they announced that they have offered him another position within the organization of which he is considering. The 52-year-old Towers has been on the hot seat since the Diamondbacks came out with a very slow start to begin the season, and now becomes the second National League West general manager to have been fired this season. Towers' firing comes just months after Arizona hired Tony LaRussa to oversee all baseball operations. The search for a new general manager will begin very soon, with interview process being held this week. Towers has a lot of experience running a baseball team, as he ranks tied for fourth in the major leagues in terms of years at the helm of the team. Towers entered 2014 with 18 years of experience as a general manager, tied with Oakland Athletics' GM Billy Beane and San Francisco Giants' GM Brian Sabean. Chief baseball officer La Russa made a statement on the removal of Towers from his position: Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of our baseball operations and have decided to restructure our staff in order to improve our decision-making process...I have the utmost respect for Kevin and a friendship with him that dates back many years, which has allowed me to appreciate his talents and experience...I have offered him a new role in the front office, as I believe his skills fit well within the framework of what we are building. Understandably, he would like to see who the general manager is before making his own decision. Towers has worked in baseball operations as a scout, scouting director, and general manager since 1989. In 1995, he was hired to become the San Diego Padres' seventh general manager. He lead the team to four division championships and an appearance in the 1998 World Series. He was known for finding talented pitchers that other teams had released. In 2009, the Padres fired Towers as their general manager, and he joined the New York Yankees as a special assignment scout for the 2010. Then, on September 22, 2010, he was hired to become the next general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Late last night, the Colorado Rockies locked up an anchor in their rotation. They have announced that they have agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Jorge De La Rosa on a two-year contract extension. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that De La Rosa will make $25 million in his extension, one that does not include an option year. The 33-year-old De La Rosa is currently under contract through this season, in the final year of a four-year, $42.5 million deal that he signed back in December 2010. He was considered to be a trade target for many teams during this past July, but after not being moved, an extension looked to be more likely. De La Rosa is having a solid year. He is 13-10 with a 4.26 ERA (100 ERA+) in 28 starts. Over his 160.2 innings pitched, De La Rosa has a 119 to 57 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has a solid 1.239 WHIP on the year, but an underwhelming 4.40 FIP, suggesting that his ERA is actually better than it should be, as it has been helped from defense, good luck, or a combination of both. The Rockies rotation has been the second-worst in the major leagues in ERA and worst in FIP. The statistic xFIP (FIP with a league-average home run rate, as home run rates are unsustainable over time), which should consider the Rockies to be better, considering the fact that Coors Field has an unusually high home run rate to begin with, still opines that the Rockies have the second-worst pitching staff in the MLB. The Rockies have only had three pitchers -- Franklin Morales, Jordan Lyles, and De La Rosa -- that have accumulated more than 100 innings pitched on the season. De La Rosa has been the only sure thing in their rotation, as his ERA+ (ERA adjusted with park factors) is the only one that is considered league-average (100) or higher. The Rockies' season has been a tough one and De La Rosa has been the only pitcher that has been able to produce at even close to the major league average this season. Locking him up longterm is the right thing to do, and for only $12.5 million per year, he is definitely worth it in a league that is heavily weighted on the strength of a teams' rotation. The Philadelphia Phillies tossed the twelfth combined no-hitter in major league history on Monday, as they wrapped up a 7-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Cole Hamels (8-6) started the game and the history, tossing six innings, but after throwing 108 pitches (66 strikes), he was removed from the game after being hit for in the top of the seventh inning. He struck out seven Braves, but walked five in an overall interesting outing. Following Hamels' exit, Jake Diekman took the hill in the seventh. He promptly struck out two consecutive hitters in Andrelton Simmons and Gerald Laird to begin the inning, and retired Joey Terdoslavich on an easy ground ball to second baseman Chase Utley. Diekman was replaced by rookie flamethrower Ken Giles, who easily struck out the side in order. He has a 52 to nine strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35 2/3 innings on the season, where he has allowed just five earned runs (1.26 ERA). Jonathan Papelbon took the ball in the ninth inning, where he got an easy fly ball to left field, a broken bat ground out to short, and a hard line out to first base to wrap up the Phillies no-hitter and 7-0 victory in Atlanta. He will not record the save, but he gets his name written into history. The combined no-hitter is the twelfth of its kind in baseball history. The last one came on June 28, 2012, when six Seattle Mariners pitchers combined to no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies have been on both sides of a no-hitter this season, as Josh Beckett threw a no-hitter against them back on May 24 in a Dodgers 6-0 win over Philadelphia. This no-hitter was the 11th regular season (12th overall) no-hitter for Philadelphia since their founding in 1883. The last one came on May 29, 2010, when Roy Halladay tossed a perfect game against the then Florida Marlins. Halladay added to his Cy Young season in 2010 with another no-hitter in the playoffs, as he threw a no-hitter against the Reds in game one of the 2010 NLDS. The Houston Astros have announced that they have relieved both manager Bo Porter and bench coach Dave Trembley of their duties Monday. Tom Lawless, former player and minor league manager, has been named the interim manager for the rest of the 2014 season. Porter's move does not come at a surprise, as he and general manager Jeff Luhnow have not had the best of relationships. While the Astros have posted a 110-190 record under Porter, Luhnow said in a statement that the record had nothing to do with the second-year manager's firing. "I made this decision because I believe we need a new direction in our clubhouse," Luhnow said in his statement. "I recognize that our win-loss record is largely a product of an organizational strategy for which I am responsible." "What we will seek going forward is a consistent and united message throughout the entire organization. It is essential that as an organization we create an atmosphere at the Major League level where our young players can come up and continue to develop and succeed. Ultimately, I am responsible for creating that culture and I will do everything in my power to do so — even when it means making difficult moves like the one we made today." Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last week that Luhnow and Porter did not see eye-to-eye on many issues. Porter felt that Luhnow questioned his in-game strategy and that he did not have a say within the front office. He also was upset when he was not informed about Mark Appel being brought to Minute Maid Park for a throwing session in July, something that upset many players. It would appear that Porter would get another managing job somewhere else, perhaps during the offseason. The Astros looked like they were playing the game the correct way. His leadership never seemed to be in question. As for their bench coach, the Astros have hired Adam Everett to take over the position. They will begin looking for a long-term solution "immediately." |
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