San Diego Padres fire longtime manager, Chihuahuas manager on way to San Diego

El Paso Chihuahuas Manager Pat Murphy is flying to San Diego where he is expected to be among the candidates to be interviewed for the vacant San Diego Padres manager job, a source close to the Padres organization told ABC-7 Monday afternoon.

Murphy had traveled to Albuquerque for the Chihuahuas series with the Isotopes that begins tonight. He is flying from Albuquerque to San Diego. Jody Davis will manage the Chihuahuas in the meantime.

The San Diego Padres are the parent club of the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.

Bud Black, manager of the Padres since Nov. 2006, was fired around noon on Monday.

Bench coach Dave Roberts will serve as the manager beginning with tonight’s game against Oakland until the club selects an interim manager for the rest of the 2015 season.

Padres General Manager A.J. Preller talked about the managerial change and interim possibilities during a meeting with media Monday afternoon in the Padres dugout.

He also was asked about Murphy.

“He is a guy we are going to talk to about the position and get a sense whether he’s a fit or not or if he’s a guy who may fit for us going forward,” Preller told the media.

Preller added that thinks he’s going to choose an interim manager who will have a chance to earn the job permanently going forward.

Sports show host Keith Olbermann tweeted: Source tells me #Padres AAA mgr Pat Murphy is en route to SD, and is himself unclear whether it’s to become Manager or Bench Coach.

Dennis Lin, Padres beat writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune tweeted that sources tell him, “Padres are expected to name their interim manager for the rest of the season tomorrow. More than likely an internal promotion.” Lin also tweeted, “Pat Murphy and Dave Roberts are indeed among the leading candidates for Padres interim manager.

Before joining the Padres organization, Murphy was one of the most successful coaches in college baseball, accumulating 1,000 career wins before he turned 50 years old.

His Arizona State Sun Devils strung together 47 consecutive Top 10 rankings from 2007-2009.

Murphy also was successful at Notre Dame, where the locker room facility is named the “Pat Murphy Clubhouse” to honor his stint as Fighting Irish head coach from 1988-1994.

Murphy pitched four seasons professionally, including one year with San Diego’s High-A Salem affiliate in 1983.