Houston Astros Own a 4.87 ERA. Here's How It Got This Bad

As the halfway point of the season is quickly facing Major League Baseball teams, it is about time to start being really honest about their strengths and weaknesses. The August 3 trade deadline is a mere six weeks away, and difficult decisions are looming all over.

The Houston Astros built a dynasty on pitching. For the better part of a decade, this team developed and played some of the best arms in baseball. Just a quick look back to 2022, when the Astros claimed the World Series, some very familiar names show up: Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Bryan Abreu, and even Hunter Brown were on the roster.

The era of domination in the pitching department seems like a lifetime ago, even though many of these names remain.

Through 76 games in 2026, the Astros are carrying a 4.87 ERA as a team. That is 28th out of 30 MLB teams - only the Athletics and historically bad Colorado Rockies are worse. Houston’s pitching staff has given up 363 earned runs in 670.1 innings, allowed 49 long balls and posted a WHIP of 1.42.

Opponents are hitting .243 against them, and when you combine all of these stats with the fact that the complete roster has been decimated by injuries, well, it spells disaster.

Looking at the stats for the starting pitchers individually:

Mike Burrows, 5.86 ERA, 3-8, 14 starts, 78.1 IP
Spencer Arrighetti, 2.57 ERA, 7-2, 11 starts, 63.0 IP
Peter Lambert, 3.23 ERA, 6-4, 11 starts, 64.0 IP
Lance McCullers, 6.86 ERA, 2-3, 8 starts, 39.1 IP
Kai-Wei Teng, 5.77 ERA, 2-5, 8 starts, 34.1 IP
Tatsuya Imai, 6.43 ERA, 3-3, 9 starts, 35.0 IP

Arrighetti has emerged as the surprise leader of the team, just imagine where they could be without him.

Rotation in Ruins

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Taking a look at the pitching depth chart will tell a person more than viewing the strict ERA stat. Get ready because the list here is long:

Brandon Walter - out until 2027
Bennett Sousa - out since early May with left elbow inflammation
Lance McCuller’s Jr. - sidelined since mid-May with right shoulder inflammation (no clear timeline of return)
Ronel Blanco - out since spring with torn UCL
Hayden Wesneski - rehabbing Tommy John

There is some good news brewing hopefully though with Cristian Javier. He threw 63 pitches over 3 1/3 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on June 16 and looks to be close to returning to the roster.

Hunter Brown was reinstated from the 60-day IL on June 16 as well. Against the Detroit Tigers he went 5 2/3 innings where he only allowed one run and struck out seven. It’s nice to have him back.

The return of Brown and Javier will absolutely be welcomed, but is it too late to salvage the season? No one knows yet.

Where’s the Offense?

In the past when the pitching staff struggled, the Astros knew they could rely on their lineup to cover. That has not been the case.

Digging into MLB team stats, Houston ranks 27th in MLB with 99 home runs and carries a .318 OBP which is in the bottom third of the American League.

In their 76 games of the 2026 season, the Astros have only scored 344 runs. That average won’t win very many games.

When you study a bit it is easy to see why the wins aren’t coming. If Houston doesn’t have big innings, the consistency isn’t there to help the team. The power shows up, but the on-base skills are nonexistent.

The Astros did have some pressure taken off when closer Josh Hader was finally able to join the roster on June 2, coming off the IL due to left bicep tendonitis. If the offense isn’t producing, though, and the team is regularly fighting for its life in late innings, wins don’t come.

So, Now What for the Astros?

This organization is treading water, so to speak, in the AL West. With their record of 35-41, the team really isn’t out of the picture yet. They are just 4.0 games back of the Seattle Mariners, which, if things could turn around, is still reasonable.

The August 3 deadline is looming and the next few weeks could decide this team’s future. General manager Dana Brown is probably feeling his seat getting a Iittle hot right now and he is going to have to make some important decisions.

Will he buy pitching and continue to make a run? Or, will he have to face the facts and admit that this roster, with its aging core, really isn’t built to contend?

Add us as a preferred source on Google