"The Red Sox have fired pitching coach Bob McClure and replaced him with Randy Niemann for the remainder of the season.

McClure, 60, joined the Red Sox organization as a special assignment scout/instructor in November 2011 and was named as pitching coach in December 2011. He was the pitching coach of the Rockies from 2006-11 before being fired from that job.

McClure and manager Bobby Valentine had a rocky relationship starting in spring training and only recently started to communicate on a professional level.

Niemann, 56, has served as Boston's assistant pitching coach in 2012, his first season in the Red Sox organization. He previously spent 24 seasons in the Mets organization, including three stints as New York's bullpen coach for parts of the 1997-99 seasons, and the 2000-02 and 2009-10 campaigns.

He worked with Valentine from 1997-02 with the Mets. "