Narron fired by struggling Reds; M's Hargrove abruptly resigns

CINCINNATI — Manager Jerry Narron was fired Sunday night by the Cincinnati Reds, who raised their payroll and their expectations in the offseason only to find themselves with the worst record in the major leagues.

The Reds became the second team to change managers Sunday. Earlier in the day, Seattle's Mike Hargrove resigned.

Narron was the second big league manager to be fired this season. Baltimore's Sam Perlozzo lost his job on June 18 after the last-place Orioles couldn't shake another losing streak.

The Reds have been far worse, setting a pace for their first 100-loss season since 1982. With no improvement in sight and attendance starting to lag, the club decided to dump its low-key manager.

The move came a few hours after an 11-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals that left the Reds at 31-51, the worst record in the majors. Advance scout Pete Mackanin was chosen interim manager.

Mackanin, 55, managed the Reds' Triple-A team in Nashville from 1990-92. He was the Pirates' interim manager for the final 26 games of the 2005 season after Lloyd McClendon was fired.

Owner Bob Castellini and general manager Wayne Krivsky declined comment until a news conference on Monday, a day off before the start of a home series against the San Francisco Giants.

HARGROVE RESIGNS: Mike Hargrove resigned as manager of the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, saying his "passion has begun to fade" for baseball even though his team is the hottest club in the majors.

Hargrove managed Sunday's game against Toronto and will be succeeded by John McLaren, his bench coach. McLaren's first game as manager will be Monday against Kansas City.