Catastrophic floods in Houston caused by Harvey creating uncertainty for Astros
Harvey has dumped tremendous amounts of rain on the Houston area, and the Astros are supposed to be headed home
The Astros on Sunday concluded a road series against the Angels and prepared to return home for a home set against the Rangers. That series is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Those plans are of course compromised by the tragic situation unfolding back in Houston. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas late on Friday night and has since been dumping tremendous amounts of rain on the Houston area. That, in turn, has led to catastrophic flooding in Houston and environs. While obviously there are far more important considerations than baseball, the Astros aren't yet certain how they'll handle the upcoming six-game homestand.
On that front, here's the statement released by the team on Sunday:
As a result of the massive flooding and volatile weather conditions in the Houston area, the Astros ballclub will fly to Dallas following this afternoon's game vs. the L.A. Angels in Anaheim.
The Astros are scheduled to host the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park for a three-game series beginning Tuesday. On Monday, the Astros will provide an update on the status of Tuesday night's game as the the club continues to monitor the weather and the conditions in the Houston area.
"At this point, our focus is on the safety of our fans, our players and their families and our front office staff and their families," said Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan. "As we continue to monitor the conditions, we have been in communication with Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers and will provide an update on Monday.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone dealing with the effects of this terrible storm. We want everyone to be safe."
Also, here's this from Yahoo's Tim Brown:
The easy solution appeared to have the Astros and Rangers swap home series, the upcoming three games being played at Globe Life Park in Arlington (where there's a chance of rain midweek), a late-September series moving from Globe Life Park to Minute Maid Park. But, according to league and Astros officials, even that has its complications. That also won't solve the issue of where to play the interleague series against the Mets, for which, if it comes to that, they'd presumably require a neutral site.
Speaking of which, here's the scene Sunday morning not far from Minute Maid Park:
Houston flood update just outside of where Astros play @breakingweather #harvey #houston pic.twitter.com/qBpi0leBUz
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) August 27, 2017
Right now, it's hard to imagine that the Astros will be able to play at home by Tuesday. That will create a host of logistical problems for the teams in question and the league, but there are much graver concerns in Texas right now.
















