While Daulton Varsho raises the floor of the outfield, which was a legitimate need, the Astros literally did nothing else. I mean, I am rather okay with that course of action from Dana Brown. Although this team is now in first place in the AL West for the moment, with improving postseason odds, I am also not keen on mortgaging the future right now.
That said, the starting rotation remains a major problem. Even with a 31-21 record since June 1, Houston’s starters rank among the worst in baseball. Only the Rockies and A’s have posted worse numbers than the Astros’ staff.
Based on Dana Brown’s comments on Monday, the organization is essentially banking on Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco to fill in the gaps behind Hunter Brown and Peter Lambert. Cristian Javier has also pitched himself back into the conversation, allowing three runs in his last 11 innings. But following an offseason when the Astros acquired six pitchers to provide depth for the rotation (Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Ryan Weiss, Kai-Wei Teng, Nate Pearson, and Lambert), only one has stuck in Lambert. Leaning on multiple pitchers recently coming off the IL is a risky gamble for a general manager already on uncertain footing with the club.
Ultimately, this rotation might determine how far the entire team goes. And the recent performance from the start of this current 10-2 stretch has been somewhat encouraging, with a combined 4.55 ERA/4.06 FIP in those 12 games. That’s roughly middle of the pack, with a lineup and bullpen among the best since July 20. There will be fluctuations in August and September, yet an average rotation raises this team’s floor by a decent margin considering the rest of the roster. But with little depth among a couple of proven options, Brown’s gamble to not splurge at the trade deadline to improve the rotation, even on the margins, might be the difference between glory and disappointment.
Blue Jays @ Astros Game Information and Gamethread Details
Will provide lineup when released
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