Astros Starting Rotation Starting To Shape Up Highlighted by Mariners Probables

The front office is relying on members of their staff to step up, and it is starting to look like that gamble is paying off.

Houston Astros pitcher Hayden Wesneski (39) throws a pitch on the road. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into the trade deadline less than two weeks ago, the Houston Astros had two major holes in their roster: a revolving door in the outfield and a lack of depth in the starting rotation. Well, the front office addressed one of those issues with a last-minute Hail Mary trade for Daulton Varsho.

However, in order to get the team’s new Gold Glove center fielder, the Astros dealt away Spencer Arrighetti, who was a huge piece to the rotation despite extreme highs and lows throughout the season.

That being said, the office was clearly counting on guys within the organization to be the answer. Otherwise, the season would ultimately be a wash regardless of whether they win the division.

Not aggressively going after another starter was puzzling to, well, everybody. But things are starting to shape up, and that is definitely highlighted by their probables going into this weekend's division clash with the Seattle Mariners.

Three of Their Best Taking the Mound at Home

Ultimately, the two faces of the pitching staff this season have been both Peter Lambert and last year’s AL Cy Young candidate, Hunter Brown. Now, when Brown went down with an injury at the beginning of the year, his award campaign went away, but he is eyeing postseason glory, not personal awards.

But Lambert and Brown cannot pitch every other day, so it has been a breath of fresh air to see Hayden Wesneski stepping up in a big way since his return to the mound, especially coming off an injury like the one he underwent with a Tommy John back in May of last year.

Going into this AL West battle, the Astros have a comfortable two-game lead over the Texas Rangers, but the Mariners are also trotting out their elite this weekend, and the script could be flipped by Sunday afternoon if Houston doesn’t capitalize with these three all taking the bump.

Fri, Aug 14 • 7:10 PM CDT: Peter Lambert vs. George Kirby
Sat, Aug 15 • 6:10 PM CDT: Hayden Wesneski vs. Emerson Hancock
Sun, Aug 16 • 6:20 PM CDT: Hunter Brown vs. Bryan Woo

Now, the first two Seattle pitchers are posting a sub-3.70 ERA this year, but both Lambert and Wesneski are right behind them. If the offense can have a little help from their pitching staff, it would do a lot to set the tone, and the Astros could be looking at a sweep when Sunday rolls around.

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