Astros Veteran Starting Pitcher a Key X-Factor for Team in Need of Rotation Stability

The Houston Astros would benefit greatly from a veteran starting pitcher getting on track.

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The Houston Astros are certainly lucky to still be atop the American League West after some recent shaky performances on the field.

Alas, their struggles have coincided with the Seattle Mariners also hitting a lull. As a result, the Astros still hold a 2.5-game lead over their rivals for first place in the division heading into a massive series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The No. 1 seed in the AL is still up for grabs and defeating the current American League East leaders would have a major impact on seeding.

One of the players who will be taking the mound for Houston in this series is Cristian Javier. He has made five starts in his return to the team after missing more than a calendar year recovering from Tommy John surgery. The results, as expected, have been mixed.

He has a 4.43 ERA across 20.1 innings with 20 strikeouts. Walks have been a problem, issuing 12 already, coming out to an ugly 5.3 BB/9 ratio. That has been a troubling trend for him in his career, with a BB/9 ratio on the rise each year since 2022.

Cristian Javier Is Key to Astros Making Deep Playoff Run

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However, Javier has shown flashes of the previous dominance he was capable of. Against the Los Angeles Angels, he threw six shutout innings, not allowing a single hit to go along with six strikeouts and three walks.

Alas, that performance was sandwiched between outings against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees in which he threw only 6.1 innings combined, giving up nine runs, seven of which were earned, on nine hits and seven walks.

His arsenal is certainly there for him to be a difference maker down the stretch. The question is whether or not he can consistently put it together and if enough rust has been shaken off.

That is as big of a reason that Chandler Rome of The Athletic (subscription required) has named the veteran right-hander as the team’s key x-factor down the stretch.

Starting pitching has been an issue for the Astros all season long. Beyond their aces Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, production has been inconsistent. It was why the front office was looking for a No. 3 starter, someone capable of taking the ball in a playoff game, ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

Cristian Javier's 2Ks in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/dQgTemktV9

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 5, 2025

The bright lights don’t faze him. He was the starting pitcher in the second no-hitter in World Series history in 2022 against the Philadelphia Phillies. That incredible performance, which piggybacked off a successful regular season, is why Houston paid him a $64 million contract extension.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t gotten back to that level of production since. Injuries have derailed him, but now that he is healthy, he has a chance to re-establish himself as a long-term piece of this rotation. Right in his prime at 28 years old, there should be some optimism he will get things right over the last few weeks of the regular season and be a reliable contributor come playoff time.