Bo

Porter

Current manager Dan Jennings is expected to step down after the season is over and return to the Marlins front office. Porter, the former skipper of the Houston Astros, joins Manny Acta as known candidates who have interviewed for the Marlins position. According to Heyman Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is believed to be seeking a managerial candidate with experience this time around.

What was unique about the ejection is that it came during a mound visit to Erik Bedard. It seemed the frustration from the seven run third inning spilled over.

The Astros previously hired Pat Listach for the job, but Eduardo Perez’ sudden departure to spend more time with his family opened up another spot on Bo Porter’s staff. Listach will slide over to coach third base with Perez leaving. Brock comes to the Astros from the Marlins, where he was the minor league outfielder and baserunning coordinator.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported last week that the old-school Porter was at odds with data-minded general manager Jeff Luhnow and had vented his frustration recently to club owner Jim Crane. That was going to be a losing battle from the start for Porter, who will end his less-than-two-year tenure as Houston’s skipper with a pitiful 110-190 record. The Astros have also fired Porter’s bench coach, Dave Trembley. Tom Lawless has been named interim manager.

Rosenthal says Porter vented his frustration with Luhnow to owner Jim Crane in a conversation earlier this month. Porter is upset reportedly due to a “lack of input” in the organization and also believes Luhnow “engages in excessive second-guessing of his in-game management.” The skipper was also angered last month when top prospect Mark Appel was allowed to throw a bullpen session at Minute Maid Park last month without Porter first being notified. Rosenthal concludes his report stating that it’s “difficult to imagine the Astros starting the 2015 season with the same management team.”

Houston reassigned former pitching coach Doug Brocail to a special assistant’s role last week and it didn’t take long for the club to settle on a replacement. Strom had been serving as the Cardinals’ minor league pitching coordinator and is very familiar with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow from the pair’s years in St. Louis.

He’ll replace Dave Clark, who was relieved of his duties following the season. The Astros have finalized their staff, including Craig Bjornson as bullpen coach, Dave Trembley as bench coach, Eduardo Perez as third base coach, and Ralph Dickenson as assistant hitting coach. John Mallee will return as hitting coach for 2014. The club added Brent Strom as pitching coach earlier this month.

Comack also mentions Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams, a name first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman Thursday. She also lists Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr and Nats third base coach Trent Jewett as possibilities. Since the Nats have known all along that this would be Johnson’s last year, they’ve had plenty of time to get a preliminary list together, so it would be a little surprising if their next manage didn’t come from this group. Porter, of course, was the Nats’ third base coach from 2011-12 before taking over the Astros’ manager gig.