Astros Delay Move to Six-Man Rotation in Preparation for Opening Day

The Houston Astros have spent the offseason hyping up a potential six-man rotation thanks to its immense depth of starting pitchers.

Well, their intention is still to go to a six-man rotation. But Astros fans will have to wait a bit before it's fully implemented.

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Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters on Saturday that Houston will start the season with a five-man rotation and then transition to a six-man rotation. The Athletic’s Chandler Rome (subscription required) was among the reporters to provide the update.

How Astros Will Move to Six-Man Rotation

Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown throws a baseball. — Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Astros announced in February that Hunter Brown would be the opening day starter when Houston hosts the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. The organization had talked about using a six-man rotation for a while. But there is a particular reason why they’re moving to a five-man rotation to start the season — off days.

Houston starts the season with six straight games — three against the Angels and three more against the Boston Red Sox — before getting an off day on April 2. From there, Houston has four off days in April, three of which are on Thursdays.

Brown can start on Thursday and then start the finale against the Red Sox on March 31 on normal rest. That keeps the rest of the five-man rotation on time, a rotation that hasn’t been finalized. Then, Brown would get an extra day off before his presumed start on April 6, with another off day on April 9. The same would go for the other four starters in the rotation.

Houston wouldn’t need a sixth starter in the rotation until April 13 against Seattle. By inserting a sixth starter there, it gives Brown an additional day of rest during a stretch in which the Astros play 13 games in 13 days starting April 10. The same goes for the other starters.

So, Brown’s first five starts of the season could look like this:

March 26 vs. Angels

March 31 vs. Red Sox (normal rest)

April 6 at Rockies (extra day of rest)

April 12 at Mariners (extra day of rest)

April 18 vs. St. Louis (extra day or rest with sixth starter)

To get them through the first two turns in the rotation, Espada said the Astros will carry some additional long relievers to eat up the innings that the starters can’t.

Brown was a Cy Young finalist last season. The rest of the rotation is shaping up to be Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Mike Burrows and either Ryan Weiss or Spencer Arrighetti.