The Launch Angle

Perhaps another starting pitcher would’ve come in handy?

For as successful as Peter Lambert has been for the Astros, the organization’s track record of fortifying the starting rotation has been lackluster last season and in 2026. Tatsuya Imai has largely flopped thus far. Mike Burrows struggled and is currently working his way off the IL. You can’t depend on Cristian Javier. Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco were only activated off the IL from Tommy John surgeries a handful of weeks ago. The starting rotation is basically Hunter Brown, Lambert, and hope someone doesn’t implode after them.

To be fair, it wasn’t like Wesneski pitched terribly against the Mariners. Yes, he allowed five earned runs, but that four-run second inning was primarily driven by singles and a couple of misplays. That drop by Wesneski allowed the first run to score, and Daulton Varsho couldn’t come away with the catch that allowed Victor Robles to drive in two more. A paper cut here and a paper cut there kind of inning.

But Wesneski also wasn’t particularly efficient. While he did settle down in the third, he ran into more issues in the fourth, with Brandon Donovan driving in his second run of the day, another RBI single to the outfield, to score a fifth run for the Mariners. Ultimately, Wesneski got out of the inning, but his day was done. A better defensive play here or there could have changed his outcome. He did strike out six and only walked one batter. But the results are the results, and it wasn’t the kind of start that the Astros needed.

Houston’s lineup wasn’t entirely dormant, but the results came after the game was largely decided. While the Astros would tag Emerson Hancock for a run in both the first and second innings, the right-hander for the Mariners pitched quite well, striking out eight across seven innings. The prime opportunity against Hancock occurred in the first inning, following Jose Altuve’s RBI single to drive in Yordan Alvarez. With the bases loaded and only one out, both Christian Walker and Taylor Trammell struck out to end the threat. While Christian Vázquez would hit a solo home run in the second, the Astros weren’t afforded another opportunity like the one in the first inning.

With Wesneski finished after four innings, the Astros turned to Bryan King, who pitched a scoreless fifth. Trailing 5-2 after five innings, the game wasn’t entirely out of hand. Ronel Blanco was brought in the sixth, and for the first two innings, he held his own. The wheels came off in the eighth and ninth innings, with the Mariners scoring five more runs in the process to give them a grand total of ten. Isaac Paredes would hit a two-run shot in the eighth, followed up by Christian Walker’s RBI groundout in the ninth, which would ultimately trim the deficit to 10-5. Alas, it was too little, too late.

This loss moves Seattle to five games back for the division lead, with the Rangers leading the A’s 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth at the time of this recap. A Texas win trims their deficit to only two games behind the Astros for the AL West lead.

Feature photo from Astros on X