The St. Louis Cardinals continued their disappointing first half with an ugly 8-2 loss at home to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, to fall to 47-46 on the season.
Within a couple hours of the loss, the Cardinals sent out a tweet announcing the firing of manager Mike Matheny. Hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller were also fired. Bench coach Mike Shildt has been named the team’s interim manager.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 15, 2018
To repeat: #stlcards have fired Mike Matheny, in the middle of the season. Rare move for DeWitt & Co. in this leadership. Mike Shildt takes over as manager. More news coming.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 15, 2018
This decision was long overdue. While the rosters have been very flawed, the Cardinals have been big disappointments over the last three seasons after making the playoffs in Matheny’s first four seasons as manager (2012-15).
The Cardinals have dismissed Mike Matheny as their manager. It is the first time the Cardinals have changed managers during a season since 1995.
The Cardinals made the postseason in each of Matheny's first four seasons as manager (2012-15), but haven't made it since 2015. pic.twitter.com/GNwo21BWQS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 15, 2018
But Matheny’s hard-ass, old-school managing style has also been heavily questioned, and his comments following Bud Norris’ treatment over Jordan Hicks is what likely made the Cardinals’ front office decide enough is enough.
Matheny is the worst. Like I mean even when I tried to use metrics to judge managers he was bottom of the league, and then it comes out repeatedly he can’t manage the non metric stuff, the people managing. https://t.co/275muZge4s
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) July 12, 2018
The lethargic and messy baseball aside, and crumbling player relations aside, I can share this: management was not happy with Matheny’s quotes in @markasaxon piece in @TheAthletic (1/2)
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) July 15, 2018
As I wrote for @TheAthleticSTL Friday, management uncomfortable with Matheny’s expressed zeal for old-school tough guy stuff and referring to today’s game as “soft” … felt (2/3)
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) July 15, 2018
That (3/3) whenever Matheny gets on the soapbox with old-school preaching that’s a huge turnoff to young players, it reinforced team’s rep as uptight, stressed, humorless and not a fun place to play.
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) July 15, 2018
That’s why I was astonished by the attacks on @markasaxon ; without Matheny running his mouth and all but bragging over having Bud Norris being his enforcer/snitch, Saxon had much less to build his piece around. Today’s players are different. This manager never got that.
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) July 15, 2018
And USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that former Yankees and Marlins manager Joe Girardi is the favorite to take the full-time job. The former catcher played his final MLB season with the Cardinals in 2003.
Joe Girardi now favorite to replace Matheny
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 15, 2018
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman also suggested Girardi for the job:
Was told before season if #stlcards move on from Matheny that Mozeliak is a fan of Girardi. Will be interesting if Girardi gets job or is deemed too similar to Matheny: intense ex-catcher who does not mix great with media.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 15, 2018
Now, here’s the thing: the front office deserves even more blame for the team’s performance the last few years and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently threw one of their own players under the bus. So Mozeliak should be viewed on the hot seat as well.