Houston Astros Pitching Situation Goes From Bad To Historically Awful
When it rains, it pours, and the Houston Astros are all too familiar with that saying at the moment.
By now, everyone knows how dire the situation has become for their starting rotation with five players occupying a place on the injured list.
Manager Joe Espada has had to rely on call ups and second-year players to try and patch together a starting unit that is attempting to keep this team afloat.
That has not been the case as the Astros are now 3-7 over their last 10 games which brings their season record to 4-11.
Blair Henley, Spencer Arrighetti, and Hunter Brown all had rough goes at it when they took the mound, and now J.P. France can be added to that list after giving up eight earned runs over his four innings pitched on Friday.
The past three outings had Houston's starters make MLB history for the wrong reason.
This just highlights how dire the situation really is for the Astros.
They'll eventually get help when Justin Verlander returns, Framber Valdez makes his way back, and Jose Urquidy gets his forearm healthy, but until then, the starting pitching unit will continue to be in the spotlight unless things can get stabilized.
No one is asking these players to go out and put together Cy Young type of performances, but they have to show the ability to pitch at this level during a short stint.
Henley and Arrighetti's outings can be understood since they were making their Major League debuts when they got shelled, but for Brown and France to have pitched the way they did is a major concern.