Astros Have Found Their No. 3 Starter in the Rotation After Latest Performance

The Houston Astros have struggled with stability in the starting pitching rotation throughout the season and it looks like they may have found a legit No. 3 starter to rely on.

Right-hander Hayden Wesneski put up another quality start in a huge Astros' win on the road over the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5. This was now back-to-back quality starts for Wesneski, who has surprisingly emerged as one of the best pitchers in the rotation over the past few weeks thanks to his reliable performances that go deep into the game.

Wesneski went six innings against the Phillies in a tough environment and just gave up three earned runs, all in his last inning. Wesneski had been scoreless through five innings until that point. He threw three struck out three and gave up no walks, along with five hits.

Wesneski Delivering As Reliable Starter

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski (39) enters the field before the game. Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He threw 82 pitches, with 61 of them for strikes. Wesneski was a key reason why the Astros ended up holding on to this key victory. Given the Astros' struggles with command during the year, Wesneski's ability to throw strikes has been valuable.

His pitch count has also been great. The 28-year-old also threw seven shutout innings in his last game against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park, where he gave up just one hit.

Wesneski threw 90 pitches in that outing and struck out five. A bit of a surprise that Wesneski is in the position that he is right now. Given the state of the rotation, he's had to take on this role and deliver. Wesneski is coming off Tommy John surgery from last season and made his season debut back on July 29.

He has honestly looked great most of the time since his return. Wesneski is currently 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA in eight starts, along with 36 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP. Four of those starts have ended up being quality.

That's rare for the starting staff at the moment. Wesneski has been excellent in his last two starts against contending teams. The Astros have also won in almost every start he has made. Wesneski is a local product from the Houston area and went to Cy-Fair High School.

He then played for Sam Houston State in college before being drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Wesneski put together a solid start in Yankee Stadium on Aug. 27, going five innings of one-run ball along with six strikeouts.

The Astros rotation will need more of his contributions going forward.

"I just feel prepared going into the game that I can throw this pitch at that time," Wesneski said.

Coming off Tommy John surgery can be unpredictable, but it has worked out well for him so far. His control has been stable. Wesneski uses the sweeper 31% of the time, per Baseball Savant, while going to the four-seamer at 24%. The sweeper usage has gone up since 2025, while he also employs a sinker, cutter, and changeup.

The sweeper has just a .108 average allowed along with a 41.7 percent whiff rate.

With Hunter Brown and Peter Lambert as the top two, Wesneski seems to be locked in as third in line and would be very important if the Astros end up making the postseason.

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