The Brewers fired their pitching coach and demoted J.J. Hardy:

Castro was elevated from a 17-year stint as bullpen coach to pitching coach this year but is paying the price for a staff that ranks near the bottom in many categories in the NL. The last straw obviously came last night when the Brewers were pounded, 13-6, by San Diego, which has one of the worst offenses in the league.

“We appreciate and admire the dedication and tireless work ethic put forth by Bill Castro over the last 18 seasons,” said general manager Doug Melvin. “A move like this is never easy to make, especially given Bill’s longevity with the organization and considering how hard he worked to reach this position.”

Hardy, who does not have quite enough time in the majors to refuse an assignment in the minors, has struggled all year at the plate. He is batting .229 with 11 homers and 45 RBI in 371 at-bats.

Escobar, considered the team’s top prospect, was batting .298 at Nashville with 24 doubles, six triples, four homers and 34 RBI in 109 games. He has 42 stolen bases and a .353 on-base percentage.

Castro seems to be a victim of the Peter Principle, although I don’t know how successful any coach could be with a team that lost both CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. Hardy is about to turn 27, so he should be at his peak rather than fading away. His career was going int the right direction until this season, which makes me wonder if he’s been hurt.