DUSTY BAKER

The Astros are getting a little break right now but the city is still getting pumped up for the postseason!

Framber Valdez struck out 10 in five shutout innings to lead the Houston Astros to 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the regular-season finale.

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander did not allow a hit in five innings and was pulled from the game after 77 pitches. Houston did not allow a hit until the ninth inning.

Aaron Nola took a perfect game into the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber homered twice as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first playoff berth in 11 years with a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros Monday night.

Cristian Javier threw six shutout innings and Jake Meyers had two hits in the Houston Astros’ 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.

Jose Altuve hit two of Houston’s five home runs to lead the Astros to a 10-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night in a game where Yordan Alvarez left with an ankle injury.

Shohei Ohtani vs.

When Shohei Ohtani is pitching impressively and hitting over 30 homers, he might always be the MVP favorite unless another player in his league comes up with something awfully special. Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge for the American League MVP figures to be the most hotly debated postseason award this year. Judge is closing in on Roger Maris' AL record of 61 homers and might also win the Triple Crown.

Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan was pulled in the fifth inning with neck tightness during a 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

Seth Brown homered and drove in four runs, Cole Irvin overcame a rocky start and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 8-5.

Yordan Alvarez homered in his first three at-bats, Justin Verlander threw five hitless innings in his return from the injured list and the Houston Astros clinched a postseason berth with a 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Yordan Alvarez homered in his first three at-bats, Justin Verlander threw five hitless innings in his return from the injured list and the Houston Astros clinched a postseason berth with a 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Aledmys Díaz hit a two-run homer, Lance McCullers Jr. had a solid start and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-2 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory.

Framber Valdez pitched his first career shutout and the Houston Astros beat the Detroit Tigers 7-0.

Mike Trout homered in his sixth straight game to set an Angels franchise record, Shohei Ohtani threw five solid innings before exiting because of a blister and Los Angeles beat the Houston Astros 6-1.

Mike Trout homered in his sixth straight game to set an Angels franchise record, Shohei Ohtani threw five solid innings before exiting because of a blister and Los Angeles beat the Houston Astros 6-1.

José Altuve scored the winning run on a wild pitch with two outs in the 10th inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

Framber Valdez threw his 23rd straight quality start but Corey Seager scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and the Texas Rangers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Jose Altuve drove in two runs and scored two more for the Houston Astros in a 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers and their All-Star starter Martín Pérez.

Framber Valdez won his sixth straight decision while pitching his 22nd consecutive quality start and Jose Altuve homered, doubled and scored twice as the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Justin Verlander pitched three scoreless innings before departing because of right calf discomfort, and the Houston Astros used five relievers to close out a 3-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Trey Mancini homered for a second straight game, a three-run drive that led the Houston Astros to a 6-3 win and a three-game sweep of the slumping Minnesota Twins.

Travis d'Arnaud run-scoring single in the 11th capped Atlanta's second comeback in extra innings, and the Braves beat the Houston Astros 5-4.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez isn't in the lineup for a game against the Atlanta Braves a day after being taken to a hospital because of shortness of breath.

Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez was taken to a hospital during Friday night's game against the Atlanta Braves because of shortness of breath.

Framber Valdez threw seven solid innings, Yordan Alvarez drove in a run and scored one, and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2.

Cristian Javier threw six shutout innings, Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer and the Houston Astros swept the Oakland Athletics with a 6-3 win.

Kyle Tucker hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to rally the Houston Astros to a 7-5 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings, Martín Maldonado and Alex Bregman homered with three RBIs each, and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 7-3.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has returned for the finale of a series against the Texas Rangers following a five-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19.

Aledmys Díaz hit a grand slam as the Houston Astros roughed up Martín Pérez and rallied past the Texas Rangers 7-5.

Triston McKenzie held Houston to two hits and struck out eight in eight innings, Luke Maile homered for the first time in three years and the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Houston Astros 1-0.

Cal Quantrill pitches six scoreless innings and Amed Rosario had a two-run single, lifting the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Trey Mancini homered twice, including his first career grand slam, and drove in five runs and the Houston Astros defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-3.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker tested positive for COVID-19 prior to Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Friday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, according to the team.

Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0.

Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez was not called out after a third strike in a win over the Boston Red Sox.

Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez was not called out after a third strike in a win over the Boston Red Sox.

Abraham Toro pinch-hit for injured All-Star Julio Rodriguez and delivered a two-run single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Seattle Mariners rallied past the AL-West leading Houston Astros 5-4.

Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer early, and his tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning led the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Tony Kemp homered and hit a two-run double, Skye Bolt added a two-run shot, and the Oakland Athletics held off the red-hot Houston Astros 7-5.

Justin Verlander became the major leagues’ first 13-game winner, striking out nine and topping 99 mph in his final inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners 3-1.

The Houston Astros ended the Seattle Mariners’ winning streak at 14 games, with Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez homering in a 5-2 victory.

Hey KPRC 2 Insiders, it’s Ari Alexander. I just got back from Los Angeles where I spent three days covering the Astros at the All-Star Game and festivities. I got to talk with Justin Verlander, Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez along with Dusty Baker plus a couple of other local guys including Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals/The Woodlands HS), Justin Crawford (Phillies Draftee/Son of Carl Crawford) and Ivan Melendez (Diamondbacks Draftee/Texas).

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game.

Angels star Shohei Ohtani called his shot before leading off the Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium, telling Fox’s Tom Verducci in the on-deck circle that he was going to jump on Clayton Kershaw quickly.

The All-Star Game suits Dusty Baker — or more precisely, his coaching staff.

Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw are two-way praisers.

The legacy of Jackie Robinson showed in Major League Baseball’s draft.

Even the mighty Houston Astros are not immune to occasional bouts of comprehensive ineptitude, as they demonstrated while blowing a four-run lead in the seventh inning Tuesday night with two errors, a hit batter with the bases loaded and a passed ball. The Astros still had plenty of time to recover against an opponent that's been largely inept for two full months now. Kyle Tucker delivered a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth inning, and the Astros rallied for a 6-5 victory over the spiraling Los Angeles Angels.

One of the most widely attributed origins of the high five involves the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez flew back to Houston for treatment after being placed on the 10-day injured list because of a right hand injury that has gotten worse, according to manager Dusty Baker. Álvarez originally hurt his hand June 18 against the Chicago White Sox and has been dealing with soreness and inflammation since then. The Astros expect him to miss the next two series and possibly return after the All-Star break.

Mike Trout watched as a low sinker grazed the outside corner of the strike zone in the third inning Sunday, rung up once again in a weekend filled with strikeouts. The Angels star went 0 for 11 with nine strikeouts in a three-game series and Los Angeles hitters fanned 20 times overall Sunday as the Houston Astros won 4-2 for a sweep.

A day after Houston outfielder José Siri called his bat-flip home run celebration against the New York Mets “an error," he seemingly backtracked Wednesday with a profane tweet that was later deleted. Houston was up 7-2 in the eighth inning against the Mets on Tuesday when Siri snapped an 0-for-10 slump with a solo homer to the train tracks above left field in Minute Maid Park. “He should have ran,” Baker said after the game.

Altuve legged out an infield single with one out in the eighth and then fell to the ground past first base.

Dusty Baker is tinkering with his lineup and wants to avoid hitting José Altuve leadoff. Houston’s manager primarily batted the three-time American League batting champion first last year, but Baker says the 5-foot-6 Altuve isn’t all that fond of the leadoff spot. “Actually, Altuve led off because everybody asked him to lead off, not because that’s where he feels comfortable,” Baker said.

Carlos Correa stood on the steps of the dugout watching as Yuli Gurriel grounded out to end Game 6 of the World Series before slowly walking away and heading into Houston's clubhouse for what could be the last time. Atlanta’s 7-0 win over the Astros to win the World Series on Tuesday night could mark the end of an era in Houston. After losing Gerrit Cole and George Springer in free agency the last two years, Houston now faces the distinct possibility that Correa will soon be gone, too.

Astros rookie Luis Garcia starts on only three days of rest. The pitching staffs for both teams are pretty worn down by now.

Hall of Famer Greg Maddux threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Sunday night’s Game 5 of the World Series. Maddux, wearing his Braves jersey, tipped his cap in response to an ovation from fans as he walked onto the field. Fittingly, he threw the pitch to Eddie Perez, who was often his designated catcher.

Grinning the whole time, Zack Greinke slipped into his Astros warmup jacket, joked with Freddie Freeman and got a friendly pat from the Atlanta star first baseman. Because after Game 5 of the World Series, they could become almost extinct. There’s a good chance Major League Baseball will bring the designated hitter to the National League next year — likely forever.

The Astros face the Braves in Game 3 of the World Series in Atlanta Friday night at 7:09 p.m. CT.

Rookie Luis García showed the poise of an October ace, MVP Yordan Alvarez stayed hot at the plate and the Houston Astros earned yet another trip to the World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.

Rookie Luis García will start for the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.

The Astros lefty was perfect through four, took a two-hit shutout into the seventh and became the first pitcher in the 2021 postseason to finish eight innings on Wednesday.

Houston's pitching staff will need to adjust quickly after allowing 25 runs and 32 hits to Boston in the first three games of the AL Championship Series, a barrage that made the loss of injured Lance McCullers Jr. seem acute. Kyle Schwarber hit Boston’s third grand slam in an 11-inning span, a drive off starter José Urquidy as part of a six-run second inning in Monday night's 12-3 rout that gave the Red Sox a 2-1 series lead. Boston hit four home runs, raising its total to nine off Astros pitching, which has a 7.96 ERA.

The Houston Astros eliminated the Chicago White Sox with a 10-1 victory in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.

Houston was disciplined by Major League Baseball after it found the team used electronics to steal signs during their run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.

Houston was hoping to sweep its way into its fifth consecutive appearance in the AL Championship Series. Game 4 of the best-of-five series is Monday afternoon.

Two big swings by pint-sized Leury García. A rule-testing run by Yasmani Grandal. Solid relief work from Liam Hendriks and company.

AL batting champion Yuli Gurriel hit a winning RBI single in the ninth inning, and the AL West champion Houston Astros headed to the postseason with a 7-6 win over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. Gurriel hit .319 and became Houston’s second player to win a batting title after Jose Altuve in 2014, ’16 and ’17.

Matt Olson and Chad Pinder each homered and the Oakland Athletics beat Houston 8-6 Friday night, cutting the Astros’ edge for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs. Houston leads the White Sox by one game for home field in their best-of-five Division Series matchup next week. The AL West champion Astros also own the tiebreaker after going 5-2 against AL Central champion Chicago this season.

The Houston Astros walked off to end a wild ninth-inning rally against the Tampa Bay Rays, moving closer to securing a postseason berth. The party will have to wait one more day at least, with the Seattle Mariners stubbornly sticking around. Rays reliever JT Chargois walked two Houston batters with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, propelling the Astros to a 4-3 win that snapped a four-game skid.

This time, the calls went Shohei Ohtani's way. Ohtani came home on Jack Mayfield's two-run double Thursday night and the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Houston Astros 3-2 to snap a six-game losing streak. The two-way star from Japan tried to score the winning run during Wednesday's 9-5 loss to Houston in 12 innings, but was called out after a perfect throw from right fielder Chas McCormick.

Jose Siri and Chas McCormick hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, rallying the AL West-leading Houston Astros over the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 on Sunday. Carlos Correa also homered as the Astros held their comfortable division lead over Oakland. Houston won for the fourth time in five games and cut Tampa Bay’s lead for the best record in the AL to 3 ½ games.

Carlos Correa drove in the winning run in the 10th inning after Alex Bregman tied the game in the ninth, and the Houston Astros rallied past the Seattle Mariners 5-4 on Tuesday night. Correa greeted Yohan Ramirez (1-3) with a ground-rule double to right-center, scoring Yuli Gurriel, who started the inning at second. “It was an important outing for us knowing that they have been playing great baseball,” Correa said.

After a weekend sweep at the hands of the awful Texas Rangers, the Astros welcome some of the best teams in baseball to Minute Maid Park.

Tad Brown's departing the Rockets leaves Houston with complete turnover in management roles in the last two years.

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We are finding some winning bets in what should hopefully be a bounce back regular season for the Houston Astros.

Bill O'Brien is the one departed member of Houston sports management who vacated two positions at once. ^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. Support UsThere are plenty of reminders of just how wild a sports year it's been in Houston with respect to attrition in sports. Here we go:HEAD COACH/MANAGERASTROS: Dusty Baker, 2020REPLACED: A,J, Hinch (FIRED, sign stealing scandal)THE FUTURE: Baker has one year left on his deal. This, despite the sign stealing scandal and his horrific attempt at an apology for it.

The Astros clawed their way to a win, looking more like the resilient team we were used to on Wednesday night. It was the kind of performance we've come to expect from the Astros over the last few seasons. Thursday night, however, is another game and another opportunity to stave off elimination or head home to Houston for a long offseason. Baker's ExperienceIn Game 4, Baker's decision to leave Greinke in the game turned out to be a master stroke. Looking AheadWe cannot help but wonder, if this ends the Astros season, what will the team look like next year?

But, in the ninth inning of a pitcher's duel, the Astros came through with a 4-1 win thanks to walks, a fortunate error and timely hitting. In some ways, it was reminiscent of previous Astros teams taking advantage of unforced errors and being disciplined at the plate. With two outs in the ninth, the Astros should have been off the field and headed to the bottom of the inning tied at one. For all the worries over Astros pitching in light of Justin Verlander's injury and the loss of Gerrit Cole in free agency, Valdez is one of the real bright spots in their rotation's future. On Tuesday, he was the reason they won Game 1.

Houston Astros players Alex Bregman and Jos Altuve say the team is sorry for its sign-stealing scheme that was investigated and punished by Major League Baseball. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) Avoiding any specifics about their teams sign-stealing during its 2017 World Series championship season, Houston Astros players Alex Bregman and Jos Altuve apologized Thursday for the scheme that was investigated and punished by Major League Baseball. We won the World Series. The Astros were fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under major league rules, and forfeited their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks. The investigation found the Astros used the video feed from a center field camera to view and decode opposing catchers signs.

The Houston Astros announced on Monday they have signed Tampa Bay Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations, James Click, as their new general manager to replace Jeff Luhnow who was fired in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal. The announcement comes quickly on the heels of the signing of Dusty Baker who replaced A.J. Before the last three seasons as VP in Tampa Bay, Click has been with the team since 2006. In a statement, Click said, The Astros are a progressive and innovative organization with a deeply talented group in the front office." The biggest difference for Click here in Houston will undoubtedly be money.

As expected, the Astros on Wednesday evening named veteran manager Dusty Baker as the successor to A.J. Baker, 70, will be the winningest active manager in baseball when he opens spring training in a couple weeks. Baker, a three time manager of the year, would seem to be the right calming presence on a veteran team with aspirations of another World Series. Baker praised the Astros owner and the players he inherits in a statement released by the team. The Astros will formally announce Baker's signing at a press conference on Thursday.

Pick of the Week:Celine DionToyota Center 02.01Celine Dion became a household name in the '90s with heartfelt ballads. On tour in support of her 12th studio album, Courage, Dion will perform at Toyota Center on Saturday. The Best of the Rest:MortiisWhite Oak Music Hall 01.30When artists are asked to describe their music, dungeons are rarely mentioned. Hear his dark ambient tunes this Thursday at White Oak Music Hall. It makes for a unique listening experience, which the duo will bring to White Oak Music Hall on Friday night.

On Tuesday, it was widely reported that veteran manager Dusty Baker would take over for the Astros after the firing of A.J. Baker is a three-time manager of the year and considered a steady hand with veteran players. For this particular Astros team at this moment in time, Baker would appear to be the right hire for owner Jim Crane. It also doesn't hurt that Baker has a track record for being hired by solid teams and improving them almost immediately. Bringing in a veteran with the respect of players and the league feels like the perfect move.

Dusty Baker is working to finalize an agreement to become manager of the Houston Astros, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The 70-year-old Baker becomes the oldest manager in the big leagues. Baker has 22 years of managerial experience, starting in 1993 with the San Francisco Giants. A three-time National League Manager of the Year, Baker last managed the Washington Nationals, who let him go after a 97-65 season in 2017. He was selected MVP of the 1977 NL Championship Series and won a Gold Glove in 1981, when he helped the Dodgers to a World Series title.