Astros Pitching Issues Growing as Short Starts Continue

The Houston Astos were plagued with injuries during the 2025 campaign and ended their season not making the playoffs. It was the first time since 2018. Surely, things would get turned around during the offseason with players healing and a new clean slate.

Not so much.

The Astros currently have 10 players on the injury report and eight of those are pitchers. So, it should come as no surprise that Houston has a very troubling pattern starting early on in the 2026 season.

The argument can no longer be made that it is just one bad outing, it is a trend. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reported that the Astros starting pitchers have failed to complete five innings in eight of their first 14 games.

That is some serious pressure being applied to the entire pitching staff, but more so to the relievers. That trend continued on Friday night when the Astros faced off against the Seattle Mariners.

Another Short Start Raises Concerns

Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai sitting in the dugout. — Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

It was rookie right-hander Tatsuya Imai's turn in the rotation to start against the Mariners on Friday. It wasn’t really a struggle; it was a disaster. This came as a bit of a surprise after Imai had given a great performance in his last start. Looking back though, that may have been the outlier as Imai struggled in his first outing.

Imai finished his third start with a stat line:

.1 IP
1 H
3 ER
4 BB
0 SO
37 pitches

He did not finish the first inning. In his third Major League start, Imai walked the first two batters he faced, allowed a single from Julio Rodriguez, which loaded the bases, then threw a wild pitch to allow a score.

He walked another before hitting Randy Arozarena with a pitch. In the first five batters, Seattle already had two runs on the board and two hitters had been hit with pitches.

The bleeding didn’t stop there, but you get the picture. It wasn’t long before Imai was replaced by Steven Okert. Imai finished the night with a season 7.27 ERA.

Astros Rotation Showing Cracks

Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Burrows | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Unfortunately for Houston, Imai’s outing wasn’t an outlier; it is indicative of a larger, troubling pattern.

Let’s start with the positives, there are two.

Hunter Brown - .84 ERA, 10.2 IP and 1 ER
Lance McCullers Jr. - 3.27 ERA, 11 IP and 4 ER

Now beyond that the picture is bleak.

Tatsuya Imai - 7.27 ERA
Mike Burrows - 5.63 ERA, 16 IP and 10 ER
Cristian Javier - 12.54 ERA, 9.1 IP and 13 ER

With only two starters performing even remotely well, this is putting heavy stress on the relievers. The bullpen is having to absorb heavy innings early on in games.

Astros Bullpen Feeling the Impact

Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Weiss | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

When starters are not working their way deeper into games, it is clearly obvious that the relievers will be stretched. The Astros are just not performing when it comes to pitching.

During the offseason, the team tried to beef up the pitching depth by bringing in Imai, Mike Burrows, Kai-Wei Teng and Ryan Weiss. The plan should have worked, but we all know how fast things can change in the world of baseball. Instead of just helping and easing into the system, these new arms have to handle a heavy load.

It is imperative to note that Hunter Brown, the team’s pitching anchor, is among those on the injured list. This moved Imai up in the rotation and increased the pressure. Up until the game on Friday evening, Imai looked as though he was handling it well.

The bullpen is struggling. Together, they hold the worst ERA in MLB of 7.08 after 61 innings pitched through 14 games. The relievers have given up 16 home runs and walked 42 batters.

Early signs point to more inconsistency across the team. At this point after another loss on Friday, the Astros have dropped five in a row and fall to 6-8 on the season. Something has to change and it starts with pitching.