Astros lose center fielder Justin Maxwell to a fractured hand

By Matthew PouliotApr 23, 2013, 11:53 PM EDT
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The Astros got a win over the Mariners on Tuesday to improve to 6-14 on the season, but they announced afterwards that center fielder Justin Maxwell suffered a fractured hand in the game.

Maxwell was injured on a bases-loaded HBP in the third. It scored the Astros’ third and final run of the game in the 3-2 victory.

The 29-year-old Maxwell had started all 20 games in center field for the Astros this season, hitting .234 with one homer and six RBI. A long history of injuries stalled his development throughout his 20s, but he has found a home in Houston, hitting 19 homers in 392 at-bats since being picked up from the Yankees last year.

With Maxwell sidelined, probably for at least a month, the Astros figure to go to Brandon Barnes and maybe Rick Ankiel in center. Barnes has been a nice surprise dating back to spring training, and is 9-for-26 with a homer off the bench this year. Robbie Grossman was called up to help out.

Maxwell, for what it’s worth, is taking it well:

 

Giants hire Gabe Kapler as new manager

By Bill BaerNov 12, 2019, 10:20 PM EST
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The Giants announced on Tuesday the hiring of Gabe Kapler as manager. Kapler, filling the extremely large shoes of future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy, inked a three-year deal, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Kapler was one of three finalists for the job, beating out Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quataro.

Following his 12-year playing career, Kapler was a coach for Israel’s team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier. He then became an analyst for FS1 before joining the Dodgers’ front office as the director of player development in November 2014. He was involved in three scandals there: one in which he tried to handle a sexual assault incident involving two Dodgers minor league players without telling police, one in which he allegedly discriminated against Nick Francona, a veteran and former baseball operations employee, and an incident that implicated most of the Dodgers’ front office concerning the recruiting of international free agents. The Dodgers reportedly kept a spreadsheet of employees and their level of criminality.

Despite Kapler’s background, the Phillies hired him as their manager ahead of the 2018 season. He would lead the Phillies to an 80-82 record that year and then helped them improve by one game in 2019, finishing at exactly .500 before being fired. Kapler’s tenure in Philly was tumultuous, often drawing ire from the local media and subsequently the fan base for not being tough enough on his players. The Phillies also reportedly had a clubhouse issue in 2018 in which players were playing video games in the clubhouse during games, prompting Carlos Santana to smash a TV with a bat.

Kapler has a history with Farhan Zaidi, the Giants’ president of baseball operations. They worked together in the Dodgers’ front office as Zaidi served as GM from November 2014-18.