Astros Move On From GM Dana Brown
Houston lost the finale to the Athletics 6-7 to drop the series, and a day later the club parted ways with general manager Dana Brown as the wild-card race tightens under them.
Paredes and Altuve homer, Athletics take the finale
Athletics4-0Athletics3-4Athletics6-7The Astros dropped the finale to the Athletics 7-6 on August 23, losing the series after opening it with a 4-0 win on August 21 and falling 4-3 the next night. Isaac Paredes went 1-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBI in the finale, and Jose Altuve matched him with a 1-for-4 night, a home run and 3 RBI of his own — the two homers accounted for every run Houston scored.
Cristian Javier started and allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits over 4 innings with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts, and Kai-Wei Teng followed with 1.2 scoreless innings, one hit and 4 strikeouts. It wasn't enough against Oakland's bullpen, and Houston is 2-3 in its last five with the loss.
Recent News
The Astros and general manager Dana Brown have mutually agreed to part ways, according to Mark Feinsand, with Brown's contract set to expire at the end of the 2026 season. MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the move on August 24, and the club moved to re-sign outfielder Nelson Velázquez the same day, weeks after designating him for assignment on August 20, per MLB Trade Rumors.
The change comes with Houston at 65-66 and jammed into the middle of the AL Wild Card race. Jon Heyman noted the Astros carry the best run differential in the AL West at -44, still a losing mark in a division nobody has pulled away in.
Upcoming
The Astros are in New York tonight to open a series with the Yankees. Will Warren gets the ball for New York after a start against Baltimore on August 19 in which he allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits over 4 innings with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks across 90 pitches. Houston counters with Ethan Pecko, who is still hunting his first big-league win at 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA; in his last start, against the Angels on August 19, he went 3.2 innings, allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts and 3 walks over 89 pitches.
New York is favored at home, and the total reads middling — neither a shootout nor a pitchers' duel is the expectation with both starters coming off short, uneven outings. For Houston to beat the number, Pecko needs to get deeper than his last turn allowed, and the lineup that produced two solo shots off Oakland needs more than that against a Yankees club fighting for its own positioning.