The Houston Astros fired manager Cecil Cooper yesterday with 13 games left in another disappointing season.

Third-base coach Dave Clark was named interim manager. Clark managed the North Shore Honu in Hawaii Winter Baseball in 2006.

The Astros were 70-79 headed into yesterday's game against St. Louis.

General manager Ed Wade said the change couldn't wait until the end of the season. He added that more changes could be coming for a franchise just four years removed from its only World Series appearance.

"We're tasked with evaluating all aspects of our situation," Wade said. "At the end of the day, we're going to try to address those off-field issues that exist. We're not walking away from it. The issue we had to address here, in the short term, was the managerial issue and that's why we moved forward today."

Cooper, 59, was hired Aug. 27, 2007, to replace Phil Garner. Houston went 171-170 under Cooper, who was the bench coach under Garner between 2005-07.

Cooper became the fourth manager to get fired this season, all of them in the National League. Arizona dismissed Bob Melvin on May 7, Colorado replaced Clint Hurdle on May 29 and Washington fired Manny Acta on July 13.

Wade said Clark would be considered a candidate during the search for a new manager. Cooper did not answer calls to his cell phone and his voicemail was full.

"It stinks when you know that your performance, that you're responsible for somebody else's job security," first baseman Lance Berkman said. "Say what you want, we didn't get it done on the field. The players have to take the full responsibility. Coop never threw a pitch or batted with runners in scoring position."

DEFECTOR'S DECISION

CUBAN PITCHER CHAPMAN GETS RESIDENCY IN EUROPE

Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman, who defected in July, has established provisional residency in Andorra.

In a statement yesterday, Chapman's agent said the pitcher "has been granted provisional passive residency" in the country pending completion of the process. He has sent his residency materials to Major League Baseball so he can be declared a free agent, the statement said.

Andorra is a small European country bordered by Spain and France.

The next step is for the commissioner's office to review Chapman's residency papers. If he is declared a free agent, all 30 big league teams would be notified that Chapman is available for bidding.

Chapman pitched twice for Cuba in this year's World Baseball Classic. The 21-year-old left-hander has a 100 mph fastball and is considered by scouts to be one of the top pitching prospects in the world.

Chapman defected from Cuba after arriving with his national team for a tournament in the Netherlands.

ELSEWHERE

Law and order: A top prospect for the San Francisco Giants was charged with murder in the death of a 25-year-old man last weekend at a bar in the Dominican Republic. Angel Villalona, who received a club-record $2.1 million bonus when he was signed by the Giants in 2006, pleaded innocent to the murder charge. The 19-year-old Villalona could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty in the Saturday night shooting death of Mario Felix de Jesus Velete.

Blue Jays: Toronto shortstop Marco Scutaro will likely miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed a tear in his right heel. Scutaro left Sunday's game at Tampa Bay in the sixth inning after he felt something pop in his sore heel while charging a grounder.

Twins: Minnesota center fielder Denard Span was hit in the helmet by a pitch from Chicago White Sox reliever Randy Williams in the sixth inning last night and had to leave the game. The team said Span had a slight headache and was taken out for precautionary reasons.