Astros-Rangers series to Florida

HOUSTON >> The Houston Astros will play their series against the Texas Rangers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, this week, the biggest change yet forced by Hurricane Harvey and widespread flooding that spread more misery across Texas on Monday.

Both the Astros and Rangers flew to Dallas after games in California on Sunday to await news of where the series would be held. After an off day Monday, they will now head to St. Petersburg, where the Astros will have “home” games far away from home, just like they did in the wake of Hurricane Ike in 2008 when they played two scheduled home games in Milwaukee. The three-game set begins Tuesday.

The team also said a three-game series against the New York Mets that begins Friday may also be played at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that the decision has already been made and shared with the players.

The flooding has forced other teams to relocate, too.

The Texans have been in the Dallas area since Saturday night and the team announced Monday that their game against the Cowboys on Thursday night would be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

LSU’s football team, along with BYU, are keeping close watch, with the two scheduled to play each other Saturday at the home of the Texans.

The Rice football team was settling in on TCU’s campus in Fort Worth. The Owls opened the season over the weekend in Australia, where they lost to Stanford. They arrived in Los Angeles on Monday morning before another flight to Dallas, and were expected to share the campus with the Horned Frogs until things improve in Houston. The Owls have a week off before traveling to play UTEP on Sept. 9.

The University of Houston football team, meanwhile, is in Austin, where former coach Tom Herman is preparing for his first season in charge of the Longhorns after two seasons at Houston. He said the Cougars canceled their scheduled practice Sunday when the flooding was getting worse back in Houston, and “guys being worried and not really being focused on football, nor should they have been.”

Teams and athletes got in on the fundraising efforts for what will undoubtedly be a long rebuilding process. The Texans and owner Bob McNair donated $1 million to the United Way of Greater Houston Flood Relief Fund. The NFL Foundation said it would match the $1 million donation, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family pledged to match all funds donated to the American Red Cross in support of Harvey flood relief up to $1 million.

This came after Texans star J.J. Watt started a fundraising page that had raised more than $620,000 by Monday afternoon and Houston Rockets and owner Leslie Alexander donated $4 million to hurricane relief. Major League Baseball also contributed to the cause, joining with the players association to donate $1 million to the Red Cross and relief organizations chosen by the players.