Astros Fire GM Dana Brown Amid Playoff Race
Houston beat the Yankees 9-7 in the Bronx as general manager Dana Brown was fired mid-race, with manager Joe Espada's own future left undecided until the season ends.
Diaz's two homers back Peña's tying shot in New York
Yankees9-7The Astros beat the Yankees 9-7 in the Bronx on August 25, pulling away after a back-and-forth game. Jeremy Peña went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI, tying the game late, per @TalkinBaseball_. Yainer Diaz drove in three runs on a 3-for-4 night with two home runs, and Yordan Alvarez added a triple and a run driven in on a 3-for-5 game.
The win moved Houston to 66-66 and is part of a 2-3 stretch over its last five games, a run that includes an 18-3 loss to the Angels on August 20 and a three-game set against the Athletics that split against them.
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Houston formally parted ways with general manager Dana Brown on August 24, per MLB Trade Rumors and Feinsand of MLB.com, ending his tenure with a year still left on his contract. The move came with the club sitting at .500 and in the thick of the AL West race, a sign the front office isn't waiting for the season to end to make changes.
Manager Joe Espada isn't getting the same treatment yet — owner Jim Crane told him his own status won't be addressed until the season is over, and Espada thanked the players for their support amid the organizational changes, per FoulTerritoryTV citing Brian McTaggart. Houston also re-signed outfielder Nelson Velázquez, per MLB Trade Rumors, adding depth to a roster now playing out the string under a GM who won't be around to see how it ends.
Upcoming
The Astros are in New York tonight, with Peter Lambert (8-7, 3.68 ERA) taking the mound for Houston. Lambert is coming off a rough outing against the Angels on August 20, allowing 9 earned runs over 3.2 innings. The Yankees counter with Elmer Rodriguez, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
New York is favored at home tonight, and the total points to a middling scoring game — well below the combined 16 runs the two clubs put up on August 25. For that number to hold, Rodriguez needs to keep an Astros lineup that's been homering in bunches under control, something Lambert's own recent shakiness makes only more urgent as Houston tries to build on last night's win.