The Cincinnati Reds fired manager Dave Miley and replaced him with bench coach Jerry Narron on an interim basis. Pitching coach Don Gullett was also relieved of his duties and Vern Ruhle took over his responsibilites. The Reds responded Tuesday night with an 11-4 victory over St. Louis. Even with the win, Cincinnati is at the bottom of the National League Central with a 28-43 record. The dismissal hardly comes as a surprise, as chief operating officer John Allen flew to Denver and had a lengthy discussion with Miley regarding the club during a series with the Rockies in early June. Allen afterward publicly blasted the team's performance and hinted that changes could be forthcoming if improvement wasn't made. Miley, a former catcher in the Reds' farm system who had spent more than 25 years in the organization as a coach and player, was named interim manager after Bob Boone was fired in July, 2003. After compiling a 23-35 mark that season, Miley took over on a full-time basis the following year and guided the club to a 76-86 record, a seven-win improvement over the 2003 campaign. He was given a contract extension through the 2006 season, which included a club option for 2007, during the offseason, and the Reds came into this year with high expectations after increasing the payroll by $17 million. However, a combination of injuries and subpar performances by key players contributed to the decision to fire Miley, who amassed a 125-164 overall record.