Astros GM Dana Brown is looking for outfield help. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
It's no secret to Astros fans that offensive production has been almost nonexistent in Houston's outfield for most of the season. Outside of games in which Yordan Alvarez plays left field, the Astros have struggled to get anything going.
That's why the return of Kyle Tucker is so important for the 'Stros. Going into Monday's game against the Phillies, here are the batting averages for three of the outfield options over the last 30 days.
Jake Meyers is hitting .198, Mauricio Dubon .176, and Chas McCormick is sitting at .111.
Which is why we've seen the club add Ben Gamel recently, who's actually done a decent job with his limited opportunities.
Clearly the front office isn't satisfied with the outfield group, as MLB.com's Brian McTaggart is reporting that the Astros are close to signing left-handed veteran outfielder, Jason Heyward.
Source: Astros are close to signing OF Jason Heyward, who was released by the Dodgers.
Heyward, 35, slashed .208/.289/.393 with six homers and 28 RBIs in 63 games with L.A.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 27, 2024
McTaggart shared some of his numbers in the post below.
Heyward hit .208 with six homers and a .682 OPS in 63 games with Los Angeles this season and also dealt with injuries that limited his availability. That followed a 2023 season in which he enjoyed somewhat of a career rebound, hitting .269 with 15 homers and an .813 OPS after…
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 27, 2024
Let's just hope this signing has nothing to do with the Astros' optimism about Tucker returning fully healthy this season.
Critical lessons learned from Texans' heartbreaking loss to Packers
Oct 20, 2024, 3:52 pm
Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in his debut performance with Green Bay, lifting the Packers past the Houston Texans 24-22 on Sunday.
Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap the Texans’ three-game winning streak.
* Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts live to the game on YouTube.
The Packers released rookie Brayden Narveson and signed the 33-year-old McManus on Wednesday. McManus had been out of a job since the summer, when two women sued him and the Jacksonville Jaguars in civil court alleging he sexually assaulted them when they were working as flight attendants on the Jaguars’ trip to London last year.
The NFL said late last month it didn’t find sufficient evidence that McManus violated the personal conduct policy. Lawyers representing McManus and the women said the civil case had been resolved.
Green Bay signed McManus because of his history of reliability from within 50 yards. And McManus delivered by making a winning kick on his first field-goal attempt with the Packers. He celebrated by doing a “Lambeau leap” into the corner of the end-zone stands.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love was 23 of 31 for 214 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Houston's Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Ka’imi Fairbairn was 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts and put the Texans (5-2) ahead by making a 35-yarder with 1:44 left.
C.J. Stroud was just 10 of 21 for a career-low 86 yards and was sacked four times.
On the game's final drive, the Packers were at midfield when Love hit Romeo Doubs for a 13-yard gain. An offside penalty on Houston's Will Anderson brought the Packers 5 yards closer. After a 6-yard completion from Love to Doubs got Green Bay to Houston's 26, the Packers called a timeout with 3 seconds left to set things up for McManus.
Josh Jacobs put the Packers ahead midway through the third quarter when he got his first career touchdown catch, on the sixth-year pro’s 212th overall reception. Jacobs had the NFL record for most career catches without a touchdown reception.
On second-and-goal from the 8, Jacobs caught a screen a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and ran across the middle of the field into the end zone.
But the Packers went three-and-out on their next three possessions, allowing the Texans to come back again.
The Texans built a 19-14 halftime lead by scoring 16 points off three Packers turnovers.
Injuries
Packers LB Quay Walker left in the first half to get evaluated for a concussion after teammate Kingsley Enagbare's leg inadvertently hit him in the head at the end of a play.
UP NEXT
Texans: Host the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday.
Packers: Visit the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.