Ethan Pecko’s Debut Helps Astros Tie Franchise High for Starting Pitching Use

It is somewhat hard to fathom that the Houston Astros are still in this playoff race with the revolving door they have on the bump.

Astros starting pitcher Ethan Pecko (70) delivers a pitch during his major league debut Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wednesday evening against the Los Angeles Angels, Ethan Pecko took the bump for the first time in his Major League career as he suited up for the Houston Astros, looking to snap a three-game skid and avoid becoming a losing ballclub.

That being said, the moment Pecko threw his first pitch as a starter, he was logged as the 17th different pitcher to make a start for the Astros this season, tying a franchise high for most starters used in a season, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

The last time that the Astros had to use this many pitchers in the starting rotation was back in 1965, their first year in the Astrodome, where they finished the season with nearly 100 losses (97). So, the fact that the team is still in the playoff race is somewhat hard to comprehend.

Rookie's first K!#ChaseTheFight pic.twitter.com/bQBy0zmEjd

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 20, 2026

But after Pecko logged his first, second, third, and fourth career strikeout in 3.2 innings of two-run ball, they finally logged a win and clawed back over .500. His command wasn't there further into his start, which is why his pitch count was already at 90.

The front office hasn't left manager Joe Espada with many choices, as they refused to add another arm at the trade deadline and even dealt away Spencer Arrighetti, further depleting the staff. There is quite a problem with the Astros' roster now, and it is going to continually haunt them over the next six weeks.

Astros Biggest Weakness Is Going To Crush Them Down the Stretch

Astros manager Joe Espada (19) walks to the dugout after being ejected. Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately for this team, Hunter Brown, Hayden Wesneski, and Peter Lambert cannot be the only ones to throw the rest of the way. Right now, they have been good, but with the way this bullpen is having to be utilized, they will be burnt out before the season comes to a close.

There was hope that both Ronel Blanco and Cristian Javier could step into a starter's role and come through, but that has been far from the case at this point. Blanco has given up 11 combined runs in his last three outings, posting a 7.71 ERA this season.

Meanwhile, Javier has a 1.68 WHIP on the year with a 6.44 ERA as the lesser of two evils.

It doesn't help that Tatsuya Imai has been somewhat of a bust as he was demoted to the bullpen as more of a long reliever, as he seemingly cannot find the zone and is way too inconsistent. But those problems arose well before the deadline and should have been addressed.

With some of the best offensive weapons in the game, the Astros are teetering around the .500 line and time is running out for any adjustments to be made. It is time to either step up or get pummeled when/if the playoffs come.