Rumors swirl around Chip Hale's future as Diamondbacks visit Reds
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been one of baseball’s biggest disappointments this season, and now the focus is on manager Chip Hale’s future.
Expected to push the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles in the National League West, the D-backs are last in the division, which has put Hale’s status going forward in question. Reports, from Tim Montemayor of NBC Sports Radio 1060 in Phoenix and confirmed by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, came out Friday that Hale could be fired with Triple-A manager Phil Nevin taking over the big-league club.
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Paul Goldschmidt remains one of the best first baseman in the league, third baseman Jake Lamb is enjoying a breakout year and Jean Segura has been solid. Otherwise, the offense is suffering for firepower. A.J. Pollock’s absence due to a season-ending injury has certainly been felt.
Right-hander Zack Greinke, who signed a six-year deal worth $206 million in the offseason, has been good but not great. His 3.62 ERA would be his worst since 2011, when he was with the Brewers. Arizona’s other high-profile pitching acquisition of Shelby Miller has been nothing short of a disaster. He’s posted a 7.14 ERA in 14 starts and was sent down to Triple-A earlier in July.
Add it all up and you have a manager in Hale who’s on the hot seat as the Diamondbacks head into a Saturday night’s matchup with the Cincinnati Reds. You can stream it on Yahoo Sports because it’s the MLB Free Game of the Day. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch live on Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home, in this very post or on the Yahoo Sports app. Local blackouts apply, per MLB rules.
There’s probably not too much Hale can do at this point to save his job. Arizona has failed to live up to expectations and the manager often has to take the fall. That’s life in the big leagues.
Hale will be in the dugout Saturday night in Cincinnati. How much longer he’ll be there this season is now the next big question facing the Diamondbacks as they attempt to find a formula for success that works for them.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
