Houston Astros ‘Have to Make a Move’ for an Arm After Burning Pitchers Against Mets
The Houston Astros are now one game above .500 after winning another series against the New York Mets over the weekend. 9-1 in their last 10 games, this is the Astros everyone expected coming into the season.
While they'll have to continue playing like this for the next few weeks to solidify things and prove they're back, this has been as promising of a sign as possible.
Once viewed as a team that could sell at the trade deadline, despite Dana Brown saying he wouldn't, this all but confirms that Houston will be buyers as they look to win another World Series.
Brown told reporters at the beginning of June that he didn't "foresee" being sellers, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
"I’ve seen teams blow leads from five games up to seven games up in September. In Atlanta when we won the World Series, we didn’t get to .500 until game 100,” Brown said. “I don’t foresee us being sellers at all. We’re going to grind it out. I think we’re going to get back to .500 before people know it and we’ll be back in the race.”
Brown's prediction was spot on, as his club is now one of the hottest in Major League Baseball.
However, starting on Monday, they could encounter an issue in their upcoming four-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Astros used many of their arms against the Mets, and Rome believes they'll need to make a move for a fresh arm after playing an 11-inning game on Sunday.
"The Astros may have to make a move for a fresh arm after today's 11-inning game. Shawn Dubin will be down a while. Bryan King got six outs today. Tayler Scott has pitched three days in a row. Seth Martinez and Ryan Pressly have gone back-to-back days," Rome tweeted.
If Houston plans on buying at the trade deadline, why not go out and make the move for this upcoming series? One name that continues to be mentioned in trade rumors is right-hander Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers.
Flaherty would be an excellent addition to this depleted rotation, as he's been one of the top arms in baseball during the 2024 campaign.
The California native has posted a 3.24 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3.04 FIP and has struck out 115 in 89.0 innings pitched.
Solidifying this rotation should be the focus heading into the deadline, and Flaherty would help with that.
JON CONAHAN
Jon Conahan has been covering all major sports since 2019. He is a 2022 graduate of the Bellisario School of Journalism at Penn State University and previously played D1 baseball.