In February, I was actually feeling decently optimistic about the Astros’ pitching depth. Yes, Josh Hader was a possibility to miss the start of the season, which did happen, but everything else on paper didn’t look bad. The rotation, for once, had options, even without Framber Valdez. The bullpen had some intriguing arms, and Bryan Abreu can moonlight as a closer on occasion. Although not all of my concerns were allayed, namely the quality of the rotation behind Hunter Brown, I felt as if a reasonable level of optimism was warranted.
I should’ve known better.
The Astros are in the middle of a disastrous 1-6 road trip, with three-fifths of the starting rotation being flown back to Houston for medical evaluations (Brown, Cristian Javier, and now Tatsuya Imai). At this point, I am only hoping Imai can avoid completing the trifecta of Grade 2 shoulder strains.
Depending on Imai’s status, the starting rotation depth currently consists of Mike Burrows, Lance McCullers Jr., Ryan Weiss, and whoever is healthy on the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Regardless, one has to think that Spencer Arrighetti is called up to assume one of the two known openings. Beyond Arrighetti, perhaps Jason Alexander? Colton Gordon will also be on the short list of potential starters. Cody Bolton might get another look or two as a starter. There’s J.P. France, although I am not particularly encouraged by his decline in velocity at the moment.
Miguel Ullola is the most intriguing arm of this Sugar Land group, and he has only walked four in his 9 2/3 innings this season while striking out 15. Historically, though, his control has been an issue, so he might need a larger sample in Triple-A before Dana Brown promotes him. But never say never, as Brown isn’t afraid to promote quickly, and the pressure is on in the last year of his contract. Outside of the 40-man roster, Ethan Pecko and Peter Lambert are two names to monitor.
Astros @ Mariners Game Information and Gamethread Details
There is a real possibility that McCullers is the best starter in the Astros’ rotation right now. We can’t outright discount Burrows, but results do matter, and McCullers has had a better season to date. Whether that continues is another topic. I am modestly encouraged that his average fastball velocity has trended higher, up to 92.3 mph compared to last season’s average of 91.8 mph. But the margin for McCullers remains thin. Luis Castillo gets the starting nod opposite McCullers for the Mariners, and the veteran right-hander has had a solid start to his season, posting a 2.79 ERA and 2.11 FIP in his first 9 2/3 innings.
For the lineup, we’ll see Isaac Paredes at first base, with Christian Walker getting a game off. Jose Altuve is back at second base, hitting cleanup behind Paredes. Yordan Alvarez will DH with Jeremy Peña at shortstop and Carlos Correa playing third base. The outfield will see Cam Smith in right field, Taylor Trammell in center, and Joey Loperfido in left. Yainer Diaz will catch McCullers.
In other news, Bennett Sousa is starting his rehab assignment with the Space Cowboys today. And France was optioned to Sugar Land, with Jayden Murray recalled to take his place on the active roster.
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also worth noting Lance has terrible home/road splits even when he was “healthy”