Sports | Houston Astros Astros Dump Manager Garner, GM Purpura Houston owner says it's 'time for a change' in last-place operation By Joseph Fasano Posted Aug 28, 2007 5:13 AM CDT Copied Houston Astros manager Phil Garner, shown at a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2007 in Houston, was fired Monday, Aug. 27, 2007 lessthan two years after leading the team to its first World Series. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan) (Associated Press) The Astros released manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura yesterday, temporarily replacing them with bench coach Cecil Cooper and the president of operations Tal Smith. The Astros, who have sunk to 58-73 under Garner and Purpura, are tied with Pittsburgh for last place in the National League Central, and owner Drayton McLane says it's "time for a change." Though Purpura has declined to comment, ex-skipper Garner says he wasn't entirely shocked by the news. Garner, however, seems less willing to blame his helmsmanship for the team's fortunes than the vicissitudes of the sport. "Things happen in baseball, and sometimes you never know," he said. Read These Next Cracker Barrel ditches the barrel in its logo. He 12 days into livestream when viewers noticed he wasn't moving. Hillary Clinton has a new prediction about SCOTUS. That massive civil penalty Trump was hit with just got thrown out. Report an error