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ARLINGTON David Price Jersey , Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers fired manager Jeff Banister on Friday after the team stumbled to its first consecutive losing records in 10 years following AL West titles in each of his first two seasons.Texas announced the move with 10 games left in Banister’s fourth season, and general manager Jon Daniels said the decision wasn’t based on the record.“There are times when you’re looking for a new voice, and the new voice for the leadership,” Daniels said. “Jeff did a very good job for us. Ton of passion and energy and care for everybody involved. … We just made a decision that a new voice at this point was needed.”In a season when the focus turned to the development of their younger players, the Rangers took a 64-88 record into the Friday night’s game against Seattle to open the final home series of the year. They had lost four in a row and 11 of 15.Bench coach Don Wakamatsu will serve as interim manager for the remainder of the season, starting with the three-game series against the Mariners. The Rangers will finish on the road next week against the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle.Banister became the third manager in the majors to be fired this season, along with Mike Matheny of St. Louis and Bryan Price of Cincinnati.Daniels informed the 54-year-old Banister of the decision earlier Friday. Banister was under contract through next season.While reiterating that Banister was the right fit when hired, Daniels said that has changed nearly four years later. The GM said it wasn’t an easy decision, and came after a long period of evaluation.“We’re in a different spot now, a different spot than when he was hired,” Daniels saidBanister released a statement thanking Rangers ownership and Daniels for giving him the opportunity, and thanked his assistant coaches and the players.“We had some great times here, but it doesn’t last forever,” Banister said. “Certainly I am disappointed that I was not able to finish the job. But this has been the experience of a lifetime.”Banister was hired in November 2014 to replace Ron Washington, the manager who led the Rangers to their only World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 before his abrupt resignation for personal reasons late in the 2014 season. Banister, who had a pinch-hit single in his only big league at-bat for Pittsburgh in 1991, had a 325-313 record in his first managerial job. The Rangers lost to Toronto in the Division Series after his AL West titles.“I certainly regret that we were not able to make a deeper playoff run for you in 2015 and 2016,” Banister said in a portion of his statement addressed to Rangers fans, thanking them for their support over the years.The Rangers were 88-74 in Banister’s managerial debut in 2015, and matched a team record with an American League-high 95 wins in 2016. They slipped to 78-84 last year, but weren’t eliminated from AL wild-card contention until the final week of the season.Adrian Beltre, baseball’s active career hits leader (3 http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-mookie-betts-jersey ,159) in his 21st big league season, said he didn’t have any problems communicating with Banister.“Obviously different players, different coaches have different ways of communicating and expressing what they want to do,” Beltre said. “Whatever happens in this clubhouse is going to stay in here … but I’m pretty sure different players had different opinions.”Wakamatsu rejoined the Rangers last November after four seasons as the bench coach in Kansas City. He previously served on the Rangers staff from 2003-07, was a candidate when Daniels hired Washington after the 2006 season and is expected to be a candidate again.“Yeah, I’d like to, absolutely,” said Wakamatsu, who Banister approached last offseason about being his bench coach. “It’s an emotional time for me. … I’m still trying to process a lot of that right now, and focus on the next 10 days and see how we can finish strong.”Seattle went 127-147 with Wakamatsu as its manager in 2009 and until August 2010.The Rangers have seven position players age 25 or younger who have gotten at least 300 at-bats this season.Texas traded pending free agent pitcher Yu Darvish to the Los Angeles Dodgers midway through the 2017 season, and this year traded Cole Hamels to the Chicago Cubs even though the Rangers had a club option on the left-hander for next season. The Rangers also traded closer Keone Kela at this season’s non-waiver trade deadline, and also dealt away veteran relievers Jake Diekman and Jesse Chavez.Mike Minor, who was a full-time reliever in Kansas City last year after missing two full seasons because of injury, is the only pitcher who began this season in the Rangers starting rotation and is still in it.The last time the Rangers had finished consecutive seasons with losing records was 2005-08, before going 87-75 in 2009. They then had their two World Series seasons before losing the AL’s first one-and-done wild-card game in 2012, and losing to Tampa Bay in a wild-card tiebreaker to end the 2013 regular season. MILWAUKEE (AP) — It turns out there is way more to the Milwaukee Brewers than just Christian Yelich.The rest of this Brew Crew can play, too. Especially those guys in that loaded bullpen.Jhoulys Chacin pitched five sparkling innings on short rest, Mike Moustakas contributed two more big hits and the Brewers blanked the Colorado Rockies 4-0 Friday to take a 2-0 lead in their NL Division Series.While the sweet-swinging Yelich had a quiet day by his lofty standards, the NL Central champions showed off their supporting cast on the way to their 10th straight win going back to an impressive finish to the regular season. Erik Kratz had two hits and two RBIs, and Milwaukee’s bullpen closed the door after Chacin delivered in his playoff debut.“It’s been the story of the last six weeks for us for sure, really since the trade deadline, is we’ve become a team with a lot of depth Brock Holt Jersey , and that’s how we’re going to have to win,” manager Craig Counsell said. “They’re making an effort to be very, very cautious with Yelich. It’s pretty clear. So guys behind him are going to have opportunities.”Game 3 is Sunday at Coors Field. Another win, and Milwaukee is into the NL Championship Series for the first time since its previous postseason appearance in 2011.“The only thing that changes is that we hit first,” Moustakas said. “Other than that, it’s still baseball. It’ll be a little bit of a hostile environment.”The Rockies, who have played in four different cities since Sunday, are hoping a return to more familiar surroundings will help jump-start their dormant lineup.“We’re going home, where we feel really good hitting,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “Hopefully we can get it turned around there.”Nolan Arenado had two of Colorado’s six hits — just two more than the franchise playoff low set in Thursday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss in Game 1. The wild-card Rockies have scored six times in their last four games, and their potent lineup is showing signs of frustration.Chris Iannetta snapped his bat in half over his right leg after he struck out with a runner on third, no one out and Colorado down 1-0 in the seventh. Arenado threw down his bat and helmet after he struck out swinging in the fifth. Carlos Gonzalez leaned over with his hands on his knees after he lined out in the eighth.“They’ve got some quality arms. They’ve got good stuff,” manager Bud Black said. “But with that said, it is a little surprising that we’re not generating some runs.”The Rockies had just one hit through eight innings in the series opener before rallying for two runs in the ninth against Jeremy Jeffress. But the All-Star was back to his normal self in Game 2, working around a single in the eighth and ninth for his first save in his third career playoff game.The excitable right-hander punctuated the win with a big fist pump after retiring David Dahl for the final out.“It’s fun,” Jeffress said with 4-year-old daughter Jurnee sitting in his lap. “I’m enjoying every single moment, and that shows.”Jeffress shared some Gatorade with Jurnee while she waited patiently for him to finish up.“Every time I leave that bullpen, I say it’s for her,” the 31-year-old Jeffress said. “I mean, to have her watch and understand — she understands. She does fist pumps just like I do. She understands, and to have her here enjoying this moment with me http://www.redsoxproshops.com/authentic-rusney-castillo-jersey , it’s great.”Backed by a sellout crowd of 44,547 waving yellow towels and standing for every big moment, Chacin set up Milwaukee’s bullpen by escaping a pair of early jams. The veteran right-hander, who helped pitch the Brewers past the Chicago Cubs in the division tiebreaker Monday at Wrigley Field, allowed three hits and walked three.Tyler Anderson matched Chacin zero for zero before Moustakas and Hernan Perez hit consecutive one-out doubles in the fourth. The Brewers had a chance for more, but Perez was caught off third in a baserunning blunder and Kratz flied out to end the inning.Moustakas, who got the game-ending hit in the series opener, came up with the bases loaded in the eighth and singled in Yelich to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. Kratz tacked on a two-run single with two out.“That’s just what we’ve done all year. We pick each other up, and it’s huge,” Kratz said.The 30-year-old Moustakas helped Kansas City win the World Series in 2015 and was acquired by Milwaukee in a trade in late July. Back in the playoffs for the first time since that run with the Royals, the veteran third baseman is working on another memorable October.“His experience, it’s important,” Counsell said. “It really is.”YELICH’S DAYYelich went 0 for 2 and walked twice. After almost winning the Triple Crown this year, he homered, singled, walked twice and scored two runs Thursday in his first postseason game.UP NEXTColorado right-hander German Marquez and Milwaukee left-hander Wade Miley make their playoff debut in Game 3. Marquez last pitched on Monday in the NL West tiebreaker game at Los Angeles, allowing four runs, two earned, in 4 2/3 innings in the Rockies’ 5-2 loss to the Dodgers. Miley signed with the Brewers in the offseason. The lefty went 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA in five September starts, but lasted just three innings in his most recent outing last Saturday against Detroit.