Astros Still Waiting for More From Offseason Addition Mike Burrows

Houston needs Mike Burrows to turn it around, and he has the talent to do so.

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros' rotation has struggled to produce and stay healthy this season, and Mike Burrows is no exception. When the Astros acquired Burrows last offseason in exchange for two prospects, the expectation was that he'd make an immediate impact in the rotation.

He certainly has made an immediate impact, but not in the direction Houston hoped.

The righty allowed seven runs in 5.2 innings on Thursday afternoon in the Astros' loss to the Seattle Mariners. His ERA has ballooned up to 5.72 through nine starts, and he's recorded just two quality starts this season.

Everything was trending in the right direction after his previous three starts. He allowed just five runs over 18 innings, including a three-hit seven-inning shutout of the Cincinnati Reds last week.

Despite the momentum, things have swung in the opposite direction in a hurry.

Diving deeper, Burrows has struggled primarily with two pitches: his four-seamer and slider. Batters have hit .325 against his fastball this season, and .318 against his slider. Last season, batters crushed his fastball at a similar clip, but the slider not as much. Not only are batters hitting it and getting on base, but they're also hitting it hard.

The Houston Astros Need Burrows

Mike Burrows | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Batters own a 89.7 average exit velocity against his slider, compared to the 86.6 league average against sliders. Another underlying statistic that's not boding well for Burrows is his ground ball rate. It's 4% lower than last season, and currently in the 26th percentile.

It's still early in the season, and Burrows certainly has the potential to turn it around. After all, he owned a respectable 3.94 ERA over 23 games in his rookie campaign last season. His next outing will likely be against the Minnesota Twins.

Looking back on the trade that acquired Burrows, there's no clear winner at this point in the season. Houston gave up outfielder Jacob Melton and starter Anderson Brito. Melton is batting .231/.346/.431 this season for Tampa Bay Rays Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls. Brito has yet to find his stride as well this season.

He owns a 4.24 ERA over 23.1 innings and six starts with the Rays' High-A affiliate. Even if Houston winds up 'losing' the first season of this trade, Burrows has quite literally years to make up for it. He still has two more seasons under contract of pre-arbitration, which means the Astros have five full seasons of control remaining.

With how Houston's rotation has performed this season, it needs Burrows to turn it around quickly. He's previously proven he can be a strong starter and has shown it during stints this season. With everyone healthy, the Astros have a great rotation, but a lot of that hinges on Burrows' success.