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Dusty Baker to manage Houston Astros through 2021
The front office of the Houston Astros required no more than four games to know Dusty Baker is the right manager for the job.
On Tuesday, the Astros confirmed that they exercised the 2021 option attached to Baker's contract. Baker, 71, guided Houston to a 3-1 record to begin the pandemic-shortened campaign.
In a prepared statement, general manager James Click said:
“Dusty has been a perfect fit for our ballclub. His knowledge of the game and experience have been invaluable to us in his first few months with the club. We’re excited to see him in an Astros uniform again next year.”
Baker replaced former manager A.J. Hinch, who was fired in January (along with then-GM Jeff Luhnow) for his role in the infamous Astros sign-stealing scandal in which Houston allegedly illegally stole signs using technology during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
More must-reads:
- Astros manager Dusty Baker seemingly shades Dodgers
- Reliever Ryan Pressly joins growing list of injured Astros players
- The '2017 Houston Astros World Series roster' quiz
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Diamondbacks Pitcher Elects Free Agency
One of the unsung heroes of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2025 season has decided to test out his market. According to his transaction log page, right-handed pitcher Nabil Crismatt has officially elected free agency after spending a brief (but productive) stint with the D-backs in the latter end of the 2025 season. Arizona Diamondbacks' Nabil Crismatt Elects Free Agency Crismatt's short-lived tenure was his second with the D-backs' organization. He made one relief appearance for Arizona in the 2023 season before bouncing around between the Dodgers, Padres, Rangers and Phillies organizations. He joined the D-backs on August 9, following yet another injury to Arizona's starting rotation. The D-backs had traded Merrill Kelly and lost interim starter Anthony DeSclafani to a thumb injury. Crismatt joined the rotation having never served as a major league starting pitcher. He had one career start in MLB prior — back in the 2022 season. He'd been primarily a starter in the minor leagues in recent seasons. Crismatt himself noted he enjoyed the opportunity to start — feeling as if his unconventional method of pitching (utilizing a slow changeup primarily) was better suited to the preparation and process that went into pitching out of the rotation. "I feel more like who I am as a starter," said the righty in an interview with Diamondbacks On SI. "To be honest, I've been loving it. Being a starter, that's what I feel more comfortable with." Related Content: How Diamondbacks' Unsung Hero is Finding Unconventional Success He was quite proficient in his five starts for Arizona and made two successful relief appearances, sporting a 2.61 ERA through his first 31 innings. A five-run blowup against the Dodgers in his final bulk relief outing of the season ballooned his ERA to 3.71, but Crismatt's efforts were quite the positive boost to a needy D-backs' pitching staff. Following that blowup, Crismatt was designated for assignment. It was not a move born out of dissatisfaction, but rather a roster crunch. With just three games remaining, Arizona needed to bring up a fresh arm, while Crismatt's bulk workload would have made him unavailable for multiple days. The veteran righty did clear waivers, and was later outrighted to Triple-A Reno on September 28, but the minor league season had long concluded. Arizona faces rotation questions ahead of 2026. While Crismatt might not have been a long-term solution, perhaps a reunion deal to bring him back — either in long relief or as a spot-starter — could be beneficial to a team that may be down its top two rotation arms heading into next season. Arizona Diamondbacks Latest News
Jacksonville Jaguars Announce Unfortunate Decision After Win Against Chiefs
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their 16-year losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night after a thrilling 31-28 victory at EverBank Stadium. Trevor Lawrence turned in another strong performance to help lead the Jaguars to victory with 18-of-25 completed passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. It wasn’t all good news for the Jaguars, though, who improved to 4-1 after taking down Patrick Mahomes and the mighty Chiefs. They lost starting tight end Brenton Strange in the first half after the former Penn State Nittany Lions star suffered a hip injury. Strange was unable to return to the game, and tests have determined a significant quad issue for the 24-year-old. The Jaguars took to social media on Tuesday to announce that Strange has been placed on injured reserve (IR), which means he will be forced to miss at least four games due to his hip problem. “The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the following roster moves: Placed TE Brenton Strange on injured reserve Signed WR Tim Jones to the practice squad Released WR Erik Ezukanma from the practice squad,” JaguarsPR posted on X. In five games played this season, Strange has already registered a team-high 20 catches for 204 yards. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet, but is currently on pace to set career-high receiving marks. This injury is a tough blow amid his strong start, and the hope is that Strange will be able to pick up where he left off once he’s healthy enough to return. The silver lining for the Jaguars here is that Strange has reportedly avoided a season-ending injury, and the team expects him to be back in around a month. For now, Jacksonville will need to turn to the likes of Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long to fill the void at tight end. The Jaguars also announced on Tuesday that they’ve brought in WR Tim Jones to the practice squad, while Erik Ezukanma has been released. It remains to be seen if Jones will be able to do enough to earn a spot on the active roster. Jacksonville’s next game is on Sunday as they take on the 3-2 Seattle Seahawks in a home game at EverBank Stadium for Week 6.
Browns Announce Myles Garrett News Ahead of Steelers Game
The Cleveland Browns are 1-4 on the season and just underwent a big change after they traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, ahead of their Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are facing some issues with their roster. On Wednesday, the Browns released their injury/participation report for their latest practice. One player (Shelby Harris) did not participate due to rest, while nine had limited participation due to various reasons. Among the players who were limited was Cleveland defensive star Myles Garrett, who is still nursing a nagging ankle injury. It's worth noting that Garrett missed a practice and was limited in two leading up to their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings. With that said, there were concerns about his availability for the contest. The good news is that Garrett was able to play, recording three tackles in the 21-17 Cleveland loss. Sure enough, Garrett's condition will be worth monitoring heading into the showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Garrett's defense remains a big weapon on a Browns team that is still figuring out its offense and quarterback of the future. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year already has 21 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight QB hits and four sacks. Even Rodgers himself admitted that the Steelers are wary of Garrett, whom he described as "one of the few players in the league" that "you game plan for and you watch the film," per 93.7 The Fan. The Browns really need Garrett to be at 100% if they want to beat the Steelers in Week 6. If he continues to be bothered by his ankle injury, it could spell trouble for the team once again. Cleveland plays Pittsburgh on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has officially been benched, and he is not taking it lightly. Browning has started the last three games for the Bengals in the wake of a toe injury that Joe Burrow suffered in Week 2. After going 0-3 in those games, the Bengals decided to acquire Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that Flacco will start in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That means the new guy is taking Browning's job right away, which is hardly a surprise. Jake Browning is not happy about losing his job Browning spoke with reporters shortly after Taylor revealed that Flacco will start in Green Bay. The 29-year-old quarterback said the situation "sucks" but that he understands how the business of the NFL works. "I think it sucks but, like I said, everyone's in the middle of a season. I think, 'Welcome to pro football,'" Browning said. "If you don't play well, you're gonna get replaced, and that's what I'm going through." Browning also admitted he is angry over being benched. Though, he said he is not willing to shoulder the blame for everything that has gone wrong for Cincinnati since Burrow went down. "For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pi--ed. If I wasn't pi--ed, then I shouldn't be in this locker room," Browning added. "I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks, but I'm also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on, and just doing that." Zac Taylor had no choice but to make a switch Browning threw three interceptions in Cincinnati's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns as well, but anything positive that the veteran did came when the game was essentially out of hand. In his two starts prior to the Lions loss, Browning threw for a total of 265 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals scored 13 points in the two games combined. Ja'Marr Chase looked extremely frustrated at times and even had a heated exchange with Taylor on the sideline. Taylor had been facing tremendous pressure from fans to make a quarterback change. It would not be a surprise if Cincinnati's front office and some players expressed a desire for Browning to be benched, as well.
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