The Astros first offered their manager spot to Manny Acta, however Acta decided to instead become the new manager of the Cleveland Indians. With Acta unavailable, Houston turned to Mills.

Although Mills hasn’t been a manager on the big league level, you has plenty of experience on the minor league level. He was a manager in the minor leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs. Mills was also a coach with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Astros finished the 2009 baseball season with a record of 74-88. They started slowly, went on a run but then slumped to the finish. Mills will try to turn the Astros around and bring the first World Series title to Houston.

Houston Astros (Image: Flickr)

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Brad Mills Named New Astros Manager

Considering that Acta had a record of 158-252 with the Nationals, it is somewhat surprising that he was such a hot name. But sources indicate that he was great in his job interviews and illustrated good vision for how he’ll direct teams to the promised land.

“I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work,” said Acta of the Indians. “I believe we will grow together as a team, with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”

Going into the 2009 baseball season, some experts were picking the Indians to rise up and claim a spot in the playoffs. That didn’t happen, to say the least. The Indians finished the season 65-97.

Manny Acta hired by the Cleveland Indians (Image: Zuma Press)

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Manny Acta Hired as Indians Manager

However, manager Charlie Manuel remain subdued. The manager of the reigning World Series champions has bigger goals in mind.

“I’ll celebrate,” said Manuel, “when we get to the big one.”

Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz all had two hits and Raul Ibanez hit his 34th home run of the season and finish the contest with three RBIs.

The news wasn’t all good for the Phillies on Wednesday though after the team learned that Jamie Moyer will miss the rest of the season and playoffs. Moyer has three torn groin and abdominal muscles that require surgery.

Next up for the Phillies is a date in the 2009 baseball playoffs. Can they win back-to-back World Series titles? Stay tuned to find out.

The Phillies will try to do it again (Image: Zuma Press)

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Philadelphia Phillies Clinch the NL East

Rodriguez, who had been starting for the Houston Astros, was acquired in a trade that for Matt Nevarez, a minor league pitching prospect. With the Astros, Rodriguez was hitting .251 with eight homers, 34 RBIs and 41 runs.

The Rangers became interested in Rodriguez after losing starting catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to injury. For the time being, Rodriguez will be the backup for Taylor Teagarden.

Rodriguez played for the Rangers from 1991 to 2002. During that time, he blossomed from a young prospect to a legit superstar. In fact, Rodriguez is not only a Hall of Famer, he is regarded by many scouts as one of the best catchers in the history of the game.

Pudge Rodriguez is back with the Texas Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

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Pudge Rodriguez Back with the Rangers

Lance Berkman, arguably the best hitter on the team, will be placed on the disabled list due to a calf strain on his left leg.

The 33-year-old native of Texas is currently hitting .273 with 18 homers, 55 RBIs and 50 runs. He also has six steals and a .407 on-base percentage. With two more home runs, Berkman will have hit at least 20 homers for the tenth straight season.

Edwin Maysonet replaced Berkman on the Astros roster. Maysonet has one homer, seven RBIs and seven runs in 54 at-bats this season.

After starting off the season slowly, the Astros are now just one-game back in the NL Central. At 49-46, they are tied with the Chicago Cubs and trailing the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lance Berkman - Houston Astros (Image: Zuma Press)

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Lance Berkman Headed to the Disabled List

Nelson Cruz - Texas Rangers (Image: Zuma Press)

For the game, Cruz was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI. On the season, the 28-year-old outfielder is hitting .285 with 11 homers, 30 RBI and 22 runs. Despite his age, Cruz has never played more than 100 games in a season. In 31 games last season, Cruz hit .330 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

On the mound for the Rangers, Scott Feldman went 6.2 innings to pick up his third win of 2009. He gave up five runs and three earned runs while striking out five and walking two.

The win lifted the Rangers to 25-17. Currently, Texas leads the NL West with a 2.5 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels.

With the loss, the Astros are now 18-23 and in last place in the NL Central.

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Nelson Cruz Powers Rangers with Two Homers

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (Image: Newscom)

Pujols’ first homer came in the fifth inning when he hit a grand slam. He then followed that up with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Through six games, Pujols has a batting average of .429 with three homers and nine RBIs.

Adam Wainwright threw five innings in which he didn’t give up a run to get the win. Joe Thurston and Rick Ankiel each finished with three hits as the Cardinals improved their record to 4-2.

The loss for the Astros dropped their record to 1-4. Roy Oswalt, the team’s ace, dropped to 0-2 following six innings in which he gave up nine hits and six earned runs.

The two teams will play the final game of their series on Sunday at 2:15 PM EST.

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Albert Pujols Racks Up 2 Homers, 7 RBIs

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