Brad Penny has seen pitching coaches fired before in his major league career. He helped the Florida Marlins win a World Series in 2003 after the manager and pitching coach were fired early in the season.

Following a 6-3 win over the Giants, the Tigers fired pitching coach Rick Knapp and replaced him with bullpen coach Jeff Jones. Hours earlier, Tigers starter Justin Verlander and closer Jose Valverde were named to the American League roster for the All-Star Game.

• Related: Tigers beat Giants, 6-3

Penny was frank in assessing who was to blame.

Bottom line is he got fired because of our performance, said Penny, referring to the starters. He wasnt out there throwing pitches, and the inconsistencies weve had, other than Justin, are why hes not going to be here anymore. For me, thats tough. I wish it would have been different. He did everything he could for us and he always wanted the best for us. Its tough.

Pennys last win came on June 5.

The Tigers recently decided to return Phil Coke to a bullpen role after he struggled as a starter this season.

Rick Porcello earned his first victory in nearly a month on Sunday, but that didnt stop Tigers president Dave Dombrowski from making changes to the coaching staff.

The Tigers rank 26th out of baseballs 30 teams with an ERA of 4.41. They allowed 32 runs in three games against the New York Mets and 19 more in a pair of losses to the Giants, including a 15-3 rout on Saturday.

Weve decided to make a move with our major league coaching staff, Dombrowski said following Sundays win.

Knapp had been the pitching coach since October 2008. Before that he had spent 12 seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins.

Dombrowski wouldnt specify his reasons for making the change.

Youve watched us, Dombrowski said. We just have not pitched as well as we thought were capable of pitching. … Im not by all means putting it all on him, because thats not the case, either.

Verlander has accounted for five of the teams last 12 wins.

Its tough, especially for us pitchers, to see Knapp go, Verlander said. Weve had a great time here, him and I, since 2009. Its an organizational decision and we have nothing to do with that. Weve just got to go out there and play baseball.

Ive just got to go out there and continue to work hard, continue to do what Ive been doing and just try to keep this roll Ive been on.

Max Scherzer said Knapp was his eyes for what he wanted to do mechanically.

Someone you lean on, Scherzer said. With Jonesy now, Im going to have to develop a quick relationship and go over the little things I do, what I need to hear and get me back locked on.

The Tigers know they need more out of their starting pitchers, especially after they cost their pitching coach his job.

We pitch bad and coaches get fired, Penny said. We play bad and managers get fired. … Somebodys gotta take the fall. In reality, were responsible for it.

Mike Rojas is the new bullpen coach. Hes been in the organization since 2004, first as a minor league manager. He spent three seasons as the minor league field coordinator and was named the director of player development last August. Rojas will join the club in Anaheim, Calif., Sunday.

Similar Posts:

• Jim Ingraham on A.L. Central: Take Tribe in an arms race (with video)
• Tigers, Alex Avila trying to work out kinks
• UCLA has a bowl bid, but coach options appear to be dwindling
• Age Grade Coaching And Management Roles
• Tigers interested in Padres’ Aaron Harang or not?