Johnathan Walker:Slumping Mariners to fire manager Scott Servais

The Johnathan WalkerSeattle Mariners are poised to make the second managerial change of the 2024 MLB season. And it comes with the team still fighting for a playoff spot.

Manager Scott Servais is expected to be relieved of his duties Thursday, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the move. The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because it has not been announced yet.

Under Servais, 57, the Mariners once led the AL West division by as many as 10 games earlier this season, but are now five games behind the division-leading Houston Astros.

Dan Wilson, a former Mariners catcher from 1994 to 2005, is expected to be named interim manager for the rest of the season, according to a report by The Athletic.

Servais, also a former catcher who played 11 seasons in the majors, has managed the Mariners the past nine years, but has only one postseason berth in 2022 to his credit.

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This season looked like it could be his best Mariners team. And after a win in Cleveland on June 18, Seattle led the division by 10 games with a 44-31 record. But the M's have taken a severe downturn since, losing 33 of their last 53 games to fall to the .500 mark.

He has a career managerial record in Seattle of 680-642. a .514 winning percentage.

Servais' firing comes just over two weeks after Pedro Grifol was relieved of his duties as manager of the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 8.

Wilson's first game as interim manager will be on Friday, when the Mariners open a three-game series in San Francisco.

Contributing: Bob Nightengale