Pirates fire manager Shelton amid 7-game losing streak

The Pittsburgh Pirates axed manager Derek Shelton on Thursday after a 12-26 start to the season fueled by a current seven-game losing streak.

Shelton, 54, posted a 306-440 record since joining Pittsburgh prior to the 2020 campaign. The club never won more than 76 games in a season with him at the helm.

"Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for change," team owner Bob Nutting said in a statement. "The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better."

Nutting added, "There is a lot baseball left to be played. We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization."

The 38-game mark is the earliest the Pirates fired a manager since Bill Watkins was canned after 22 games in 1899, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic.

Bench coach Don Kelly was named the interim skipper. The 45-year-old former utility man played in the majors from 2007-16, including 25 contests with the Pirates.

"I believe strongly Donnie is the right person to manage the team right now," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. "He has the skills and experience needed to do this job really well and deeply cares about the Pirates and Pittsburgh."

The Pirates own a minus-57 run differential despite boasting young stars such as Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz. The club sits last in the NL Central and is already 10 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs.