Question of the day: Who will be the second MLB manager fired this season?

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The Kansas City Royals fired Manager Trey Hillman last Thursday, 35 games into the 2010 season. Four reporters from Tribune Co. weigh in on which Major League Baseball manager will be fired next.

Check back throughout the day for more responses. And feel free to leave a comment of your own.

Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times

The usual disclaimer: It’s not all Dave Trembley’s fault. But the Baltimore Orioles manager might well be the next to go. Trembley took over the Orioles midway through the 2007 season, sparking the team with the enthusiasm and energy of a baseball lifer who had waited 21 years for his chance.

However, the Orioles lost 93 games in his first full season and 98 last year, and they’re on pace to challenge the franchise record of 111 losses, set by the 1939 St. Louis Browns.

Trembley’s strength is billed at working with young players, so it can’t be a good thing that the Orioles’ most effective position player this season has been journeyman infielder Ty Wigginton and their most effective pitcher has been journeyman reliever Will Ohman.

Peter Schmuck, Baltimore Sun

It’s not hard to look at the standings and think you know the answer to this question. The Orioles have the worst record in all of baseball, and they just failed to make any kind of statement during an eight-game homestand against three of the least successful teams in the American League -- including the one that recently accounted for the first managerial change of the season.

Dave Trembley would seem like an obvious choice, except that it’s not as simple as looking at the standings and picking the worst team. If that were the case, he probably would have been fired weeks ago. President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail built this team and has been hesitant to lay the blame for its poor performance at Trembley’s feet, though it seems like only a matter of time before somebody is going to pay for the club’s horrible start and GMs don’t usually fire themselves.

Will Trembley be the next to go?

Probably. But don’t hold your breath.

[Updated at 1:40 p.m.:

Mandy Housenick, The Morning Call

Another small-market manager likely will follow Kansas City’s Trey Hillman in the unemployment line, but who really should be canned?

How about Jerry Manuel with the New York Mets? What has he done in New York? He won’t outmanage anyone in the National League East. He’s not a players’ manager, such as Philadelphia skipper Charlie Manuel.

And,the Mets are not winning (19-20 before Tuesday’s action). Jerry Manuel was 70-92 in his only full season to date with the Mets.

Actually, this should be a dual firing. Remember all the hype about Mets’ General Manager Omar Minaya in 2004? All he’s done is handcuff Manuel with a horrific starting rotation, give Carlos Beltran a huge contract to sit on the disabled list as much as he plays and leave David Wright swinging out there all by himself (no, Jason Bay doesn’t count).

The results: Wright is hitting a mere .270 and is leading the majors in strikeouts.

Flush the toilet at Citi Field and start preparing now for the future.]

[Updated at 2:45 p.m.:

Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune

Chris Narveson had made eight career starts, working 83 innings overall as a swing man. Yet the 28—year-old lefty threw 130 pitches last Saturday.

Trevor Hoffman is going to the Hall of Fame but 14 pitches were too many by him on Tuesday, as none produced an out while Cincinnati scored three runs.

The common denominator between Narveson and Hoffman is Ken Macha, the man in charge for the Milwaukee Brewers, who have lost eight games in a row. Hired to get the Brewers into the playoffs behind Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, he has instead produced a 93-108 record, including a 4-14 mark at Miller Park this season.

Owner Mark Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin sacked Ned Yost during the stretch run two years ago, and the Brewers snuck into the playoffs. Willie Randolph, Macha’s bench coach, is available to take over.

Macha’s seat isn’t hot, it’s molten.]