CARDINALS FIRE MANAGER
Mike Matheny, in his seventh season, ousted with one game left before All-Star break.
The prospect of a third straight year without a Cardinals postseason berth has spelled the end for manager Mike Matheny.
Matheny was stunningly fired Saturday night after an 8-2 loss to the Reds, a defeat that dropped St. Louis to 47-46 and seven games back of the NL Central-leading Cubs.
Bench coach Mike Shildt was named the interim manager. Hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller also were fired.
The Cardinals haven’t missed three straight postseasons since 1997-99.
This will be the club’s first midseason managerial change since Joe Torre was replaced by Mike Jorgensen in 1995. Matheny went 591-473, and his tenure included a loss to the Red Sox in the 2013 World Series.
The Cardinals have underperformed on offense and struggled in recent weeks amid reports of locker-room discontent, primarily between struggling outfielder Dexter Fowler and Matheny.
Matheny has limited the outfielder’s playing time of late, and Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said he couldn’t defend Fowler’s “effort and his energy level.”
The Athletic reported that Matheny and Fowler have barely spoken in months. It also reported this week about a rocky relationship between veteran closer Bud Norris and rookie setup man Jordan Hicks.