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MINNEAPOLIS -- Barely a year after acquiring Carlos Gomez, the Houston Astros have let the two-time All-Star center fielder go amid a season-long slump.The 30-year-old Gomez was designated for assignment Wednesday before the game in Minnesota, where he played two seasons at the beginning of his career.Manager A.J. Hinch praised Gomezs attitude despite the persistent struggles, but he was batting .210 with 100 strikeouts in 295 at-bats and a woeful .594 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. His contract was expiring at the end of the year.I just think he put a lot of pressure on himself to be perfect, and the harder he tried, sometimes the more difficult it became, Hinch said. It wasnt a lack of effort. It wasnt a lack of preparation. It wasnt a lack of anything other than production on the field.Gomez and starting pitcher Mike Fiers arrived from Milwaukee the day before the non-waiver trade deadline last year for four prospects, none of whom have reached the major leagues with the Brewers yet. But Gomez, who was making $9 million this season, will go down as one of the franchises biggest busts.Sometimes it just doesnt work. I know he carried the burden of being the big acquisition in July. He often spoke of feeling responsible and trying to play better for the team, knowing that he was a big addition last July during the playoff race, Hinch said. We can poke holes at guys, especially on their way out the door, but Ill choose to remember the more positive impact -- the home run in New York in the playoffs, the continual energy behind the scenes, the selflessness in talking to some of the young players.The Astros were a surprise AL wild-card team last year and after beating the Yankees fell to the World Series champion Kansas City Royals in five games in the next round. Gomez hit .242 with 13 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases in 41 games for the Astros after the trade.This season, hes been badly off track. He even made two glaring gaffes in the field Monday, his last game for Houston, by letting a single skip by him for a two-base error that allowed one run to score and losing a routine fly ball that became an RBI triple during a three-run fifth inning for the victorious Twins.He wasnt having a good year, obviously, but at least he tried hard, second baseman Jose Altuve said.Trying too hard has long been one of Gomezs troubles, a multi-talented athlete who has inconsistently harnessed his exuberance.We really wanted to start to play the guys who we felt were going to help us on a nightly basis more than the others, and thats not knocking Carlos Gomez at all, Hinch said. I think he brought his best every single day to try to help us win.The Astros recalled right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave from Triple-A Fresno to fill Gomezs roster spot. Jake Marisnick will take over in center field, and Tony Kemp will get plenty of time in left field. 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Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. WWE superstars havent had too much luck in their hometowns lately, but Shinsuke Nakamura bucked the trend Saturday morning.?In front of a home crowd at the NXT: Osaka live event, Nakamura became a two-time NXT champion by defeating Samoa Joe in the main match.It felt awesome, the 36-year-old said in an interview posted by WWEs official Twitter account.Both Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair have lost the Raw Womens Championship in their respective hometowns of Boston and Charlotte, North Carolina in the space of the past six weeks.But Nakamura fared better at a venue that has been kind to him in his career -- he became the youngest wrestler in history to claim New Japan Pro Wrestlings most prestigious prize and did so in the same building on Dec. 9, 2003.Right here, when I was 24 years old, I got the IWGP heavyweight title the first time here, he continued.dddddddddddd I love this venue, Osaka Furitsu -- now Edion Arena. I love Osaka.Samoa Joe had made history beating Nakamura at NXT TakeOver: Toronto last month to become the first man to win the NXT Championship twice, but now holds the record for the shortest run with the title as he lost it after just a fortnight.The NXT Championship has now changed hands four times in 2016 after having not switched more than twice in any year from 2012-15.Of the past four title changes, two have taken place at live events, with Samoa Joe ending Finn Balors record 292-day reign at a house show in Lowell in April. ' ' '