Word of Ned Yost's firing spread quickly around Miller Park Monday, where two of the Brewers' National League Central rivals were facing off in a game relocated to Milwaukee due to hurricane damage in Houston.

Team employees and Miller Park staffers buzzed about the move, which was announced right around the third inning of the Astros' game against the Chicago Cubs. The two teams took just as much interest as Brewers fans.

That's not surprising, considering the Cubs are looking to further separate themselves from the Brewers in the NL Central race when a three-game series between the teams opens tonight at Wrigley Field, and the Astros, despite a pair of gut-wrenching losses in Milwaukee, are just 2½ games behind the Brewers in the NL wild-card race.

Astros owner Drayton McLane said the news was "a shocker."

"Has a team ever done that at this point of the season this close to the playoffs," McLane asked.

Former Brewers infielder Mark Loretta was focused on trying to beat the Cubs, but heard the news as he and his teammates came off the field following a 6-1 loss. He, too, was surprised by the announcement.

"That was surprising," Loretta said. "You'd think he would get to chance to see if they could pull it out this year, but having some trouble last year must have put him on thin ice and who knows who made the ultimate decision."

On the other side of Miller Park, where the Cubs were still riding high from Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter the previous evening, manager Lou Pinella wished Yost the best and suggested that his former rival wouldn't be out of work for long.

"I don't know the situation here with the Brewers, but I've got a lot of respect for Ned and it's not easy when you get fired," Piniella said. "But I hope everything goes well for him. He's a good baseball man and he'll be back."