Inside the Astros

Six-Man Pitching Rotation Gives Baker, Houston Astros Flexibility

The Houston Astros recently acquired Justin Verlander and activated Jose Urquidy. Upon the return of both pitchers, manager Dusty Baker has used a six-man pitching rotation.
Jack Vita|
Six-Man Pitching Rotation Gives Baker, Houston Astros Flexibility
Six-Man Pitching Rotation Gives Baker, Houston Astros Flexibility

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Houston Astros

The recent returns of Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy have provided length and flexibility to Dusty Baker's pitching staff.

The Astros acquired Verlander via trade from the New York Mets before the trade deadline. Urquidy returned from the IL August 6.

Over the past week, the Houston Astros used a six-man rotation, throwing Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Hunter Brown, Justin Verlander, JP France and Jose Urquidy in order, to go 4-2 against the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels.

This week, the club will skip Hunter Brown's spot in the rotation, and the rookie will be available to pitch out of the Astros' bullpen. If he is not used in relief this week, he will start Friday night's series opener against the Seattle Mariners, Brown told reporters Sunday.

A week ago, rookie phenom JP France had his spot in the rotation skipped, as the 28 year-old made his first career relief appearance.

Valdez will start Monday's game against the Marlins, with Javier pitching Tuesday and Verlander taking the mound Wednesday.

Baker has an embarrassment of riches, as it relates to starting pitching. It appears that he will continue to use all six pitchers in the starting rotation, for the time being. A week ago, it was France that received a breather. This week, it will be Brown. Next week, Baker could use another starter in relief.

If the Astros reach the postseason this fall, the club will most likely be using a four-man rotation in the playoffs. If Houston's pitchers remain healthy, it would appear most likely that Verlander, Valdez and Javier would each make a start for their club in October. This would leave one spot open for either France, Urquidy or Brown. Neither Brown or France have started a postseason game before, and Urquidy has struggled through his seven starts this season, logging a 6.10 ERA over 31 innings pitched.

Over the next month and a half, Baker will have a chance to evaluate all three pitchers, and provide opportunities to each of them to pitch out of the bullpen. In any case, the Astros will be adding two arms to their bullpen from the rotation, at the dawn of October.

Baker also has the flexibility to give his starters extra rest. When the Astros use a six-man rotation, each starter receives an extra day of rest and recovery before their next start. If Baker wants to use a starter in long relief, he has option to do so.

Earlier this summer, the Astros mixed in a six-man rotation featuring Brown, France, Valdez, Javier, Brandon Bielak and Ronel Blanco.

The club also used a six-man rotation last season, once Lance McCullers Jr. returned from injury.

For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.

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Jack Vita
JACK VITA

Jack Vita is a writer and contributor to Sports Illustrated's Inside the Astros, and host of the Jack Vita Show, a popular sports podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever podcasts are found. Jack is a 2017 graduate of Valparaiso University, in northwest Indiana. Since completing his degree, Jack has created his own independent sports media outlet (JackVita.com) and podcast (the Jack Vita Show). He has featured prominent guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment including Brian Urlacher, Scot Pollard, Bob Nightengale, Dan O'Dowd, and Survivor icons Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Cirie Fields, Danni Boatwright and "the Dragon Slayer", Coach Benjamin Wade. While studying at Valparaiso, Jack was the school newspaper's beat writer for the Valpo Crusaders men's basketball team, which won three straight Horizon League championships from 2015-2017. Traveling to cover the team, Jack had a front row seat to one of the nation's best mid-major teams, headlined by future NBA Draft pick Alec Peters and coached by NCAA Tournament hero Bryce Drew. Jack hosted a weekly sports radio show and provided play-by-play and color commentary services for ESPN 3 and the university's student radio station, WVUR-FM, 95.1 The Source, covering Valparaiso men's soccer, women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Jack also covered these sports, in addition to men's and women's tennis, baseball and women's soccer for the school newspaper, The Torch. While he was in college, Jack interned for and co-hosted Jewell On Sports, a sports radio program on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There, he interviewed various pro athletes such as Ahman Green, Javon Walker and Javier Arenas, in addition to talking sports with the late, great Brad Jewell. Jack also interned for 22nd Century Media, a now defunct newspaper corporation that provided news to the North Shore of Chicago. With 22nd Century Media, Jack wrote post-game recaps, feature stories about local athletes, reviews of local restaurants and compiled the newspaper's "Pet of the Week" and "Athlete of the Week" sections, while providing copy-editing services. Before attending Valparaiso, Jack enrolled at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he studied for two years before transferring. He is a high school graduate of New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackVitaShow, subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, wherever podcasts are found, and reach him via email at jack@jackvita.com.

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