THE SIDELINES : Phillies Start Staff Shake-Up

The Philadelphia Phillies will shake up their coaching staff at the end of the season, starting with the demotion of pitching coach Darold Knowles.

An announcement regarding the rest of the coaching staff is expected shortly after the season ends tonight, General Manager Lee Thomas said.

“I’m certainly not going to blame Darold for any of our pitching woes,” Thomas said. “We just felt it was best that we make a change.”

Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies had the third-worst team ERA in the National League at 4.08 and had allowed the most walks, 645.

Knowles has accepted an as-yet undefined job in the Phillies’ minor-league system.