LEADING OFF: Astros making noise, Phillies seeking GM

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

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SOUNDING OFF

The Astros are making noise on and off the field in the postseason, and that’s fine with outfielder Josh Reddick.

Houston continues to draw the ire of fans across the majors for the sign-stealing scandal that came to light after last season. After slugger Carlos Correa homered to help finish a two-game sweep of Minnesota in the first round, the star shortstop said, “I know a lot of people are mad. I know a lot of people don’t want to see us here.” He added: “But what are they going to say now?”

The Astros next face Oakland in the best-of-five AL Division Series starting Monday at Dodger Stadium. Former Houston pitcher and current A’s starter Mike Fiers was the one who revealed the Astros’ scam.

“It’s all about silencing the haters,” Reddick said Saturday. “That’s what this year was about.”

TAKE YOUR TIME

If it seems baseball is going through an annual playoff slowdown, it’s true. Between all the pitching changes and commercials and everything else the postseason entails, the 17 nine-inning games in the first round averaged just shy of 3 1/2 hours. For those tracking the stats, it’s 3:29:18 so far.

HELP WANTED

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking for a new general manager after another late collapse. Matt Klentak’s inability to lead the team to the playoffs or even a single winning season cost him his job.

Klentak stepped down as GM on Saturday following a third straight September meltdown, which left the team out of the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. The 40-year-old will be reassigned to another position in the organization and Ned Rice will serve as interim general manager until the Phillies hire someone to run baseball operations.

“We’ve made...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Astros-making-noise-Phillies-15619764.php