Houston Astros Division Rivals Decide to Fire Their Manager Amid Cold Streak

There has been some turnover in the Houston Astros division as one of their rivals has decided to move on from their manager.

Aug 20, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais (9) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros are no longer fighting an uphill battle in their division.

They have completely turned their season around after starting out poorly.

Once sitting in last place of the AL West standings, they are now five games clear of the second place Seattle Mariners and 10 ahead of the Texas Rangers.

If that didn't happen, though, things could have gotten ugly for the Astros.

Some reports had started circulating in the early portion of the year that there were serious concerns regarding the viability of first-time manager Joe Espada and how he was handling the pressures of this job.

It's now safe to say Houston is certainly happy with the way he steadied the ship amidst all their injury issues since he has this team back in first place where they belong.

For a while, it was looking like this would be a two-horse race between the Astros and Mariners.

With one of the best pitching staffs in Major League Baseball, Seattle's front office decided to be ultra-aggressive ahead of the trade deadline to bring in impact hitters who could provide a jolt of life to their offense.

That happened for a bit, but the Mariners have now fallen off a cliff.

Trailing Houston by multiple games after once holding a commanding lead themselves, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Seattle has decided to fire their manager Scott Servais and has named Dan Wilson their interim.

Something needed to be done for the Mariners after the team once held a 10-game lead, but the news still comes a surprise nonetheless.

Servais was in his ninth season as the skipper, compiling a 680-642 record with only one playoff appearance that came in 2022 before getting swept by the Astros on their way to winning the World Series.

While this firing might have been an eye-opener, the interim hire is completely shocking.

Wilson has never been a manager at any level and has no experience on an MLB coaching staff. What he does have is a connection to Seattle's glory days.

He spent 12 of his 14-year big league career with the Mariners from 1994-2005, and while he hasn't been part of the coaching staff, he has served as a special assignment coordinator during Spring Training.

It will be interesting to see what this move might do for Seattle.

But with Houston starting to play really good baseball right now, it could be too little, too late.