Padres fire pitching coach Larry Rothschild

The San Diego Padres are making a move to its coaching staff.

The team announced Monday that pitching coach Larry Rothschild has been dismissed.

“Larry has been a tremendous asset for our organization over the last two seasons, and we appreciate the experience, hard work and dedication that he brought to the position,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “We wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Ben Fritz has been elevated to the team’s interim pitching coach until the end of the season.

The move to fire Rothschild comes as a bit of a surprise considering teams usually don’t make changes to its coaching staffs in the middle of a playoff race.

The Padres pitching staff also ranks fourth in the National League in ERA and third in strikeouts.

Rothschild has been coaching in the major leagues for 35 years and won a World Series championship with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 and another ring with the Florida Marlins in 1997.

Gaslamp Ball will continue to update this story as it develops.