Astros Starting Pitching Latest Turnaround Vital To Success

The Astros starting pitching has been among the best in baseball over the last 15 games.

Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier (53) Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston Astros starting pitching has turned around its season with two-plus weeks' worth of strong performances. This has coincided with a drop in offense for the Astros, making the need for solid starting pitching even greater. This streak of great starting pitching over the last 15 games has come against teams above .500 in all but three games.

Over the past 15 games, the Astros' starting pitching has a 2.77 ERA, third-best in baseball over that span behind the Phillies and Angels. They’ve struck out 77 batters over this streak. Starting pitchers for Houston have a 1.12 WHIP over this stretch, compared to a 1.30 league average. They’ve earned the win in six games and the loss in one game.

The starting pitchers have given up just seven home runs over this 15-game span. The one caveat to these numbers is that the pitchers haven’t been working deep into games. They have averaged 5.1 innings over this streak of solid ERA.

Before this 15-game stretch, the Astros had one of the worst starting pitching numbers in the league and were being carried by a solid bullpen and an active offense. As of Aug. 25, the starting pitchers had a 5.19 ERA. Their WHIP came out to 1.44. The strikeout numbers are similar on both sides of the streak, with 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings recently and 8.7 before.

Javier’s Success

Cristian Javier’s run of good play dates back to before the streak began. He has a 3.79 ERA over his last nine games with 43 strikeouts in 40.1 innings. This includes three relief appearances and six starts. Before this run of solid play, Javier had a 7.40 ERA by mid-July. He’s been especially notable in his last two starts with a 1.64 ERA and just four hits in 11.0 innings.

Wesneski's Strong Stretch

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski (39) Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hayden Wesneski has also excelled over his last four games, all starts. He has a remarkable 1.57 ERA over 23.0 innings. He is 3-0 over that span, with the Astros winning all four games.

The Rest of the Rotation

Houston Astros starting pitcher Ethan Pecko (70) Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This excellent pitching also includes rookie Ethan Pecko. He has pitched well over the last 15 games with a 2.89 ERA. Hunter Brown has a 3.18 ERA over his last five starts dating back to the 15-game window, though the Astros have a 2-3 record in those games. The surprise of the Astros pitching staff this season, Peter Lambert, has a decent 3.86 ERA over the Astros’ last 15 games.

This stretch also includes 4.0 scoreless from Ronel Blanco on Sep. 1 and an opener performance where Bennett Sousa only recorded one out and gave up a run.

With the Astros' starting pitching performing at the highest level, the Astros' bats have less work to do when it comes to winning. Hopefully for Houston, they put both hitting and pitching together in the final stretch of the season. If they do, they will be a hard team to beat come late September or even October.