Right now, the Houston Astros look strong. They sit atop the American League West at 5-2, but their record doesn’t tell the whole tale by any means.
Offensively, the Astros look rock solid. Their hitters have scored the most runs in baseball as Yordan Alvarez is a way too early frontrunner for another Silver Slugger, and three players have an OPS over 1.000.
So, it isn’t the bats that should petrify the Astros’ fans, but the starting rotation. With the departure of Framber Valdez and a rotation that was already lacking depth prior to that, there is a clear problem that is continuing to rise.
Hunter Brown is up to 6 Ks through 3 IP 😤 pic.twitter.com/ieTr3yZSaN
— MLB (@MLB) April 1, 2026
The first problem that comes to mind is the fact that Houston already wasted a start of Brown’s in the season opener. Despite his nine strikeouts, the team was shut out. It seems that the offense has now been kick-started, but moving forward, when Brown makes a start, it has to be a W for the team.
It seems that the issue will likely take care of itself, but the much bigger problem is not going away. There is only one other player who has made a start that finished with an ERA under 5.91. Two others are higher than 11.00.
Current Rotation Stats
Houston’s biggest offseason move was the acquisition of Tatsuya Imai. Imai was incredible overseas, but a bit of a gamble since he had yet to throw a pitch in the majors, and right now it isn’t going the best.
Imai was pulled before the third inning of his first start as he had already allowed four runners to cross home plate.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (43) reacts after a play during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Hunter Brown (10.2 Innings): 0.84 ERA, 1 Earned Run, 6 Walks, 17 Strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP, .135 Batting AverageMike Burrows (10.2 Innings): 5.91 ERA, 7 Earned Runs, 2 Home Runs, 1 Hit Batter, 12 Strikeouts, 1.78 WHIP, .318 Batting AverageTatsuya Imai (2.2 Innings): 13.50 ERA, 4 Earned Runs, 4 Walks, 4 Strikeouts, 2.63 WHIP, 2.73 Batting AverageCristian Javier (4.2 Innings): 11.57 ERA, 6 Earned Runs, 2 Hit Batters, 4 Walks, 1 Strikeout, 1.71 WHIP, .267 Batting AverageLance McCullers (7.0 Innings): 1.29 ERA, 1 Earned Run, 1 Walk, 9 Strikeouts, 0.71 WHIP, .171 Batting Average
The Astros missed the postseason entirely as a massive rut hit the ballclub in the final weeks of the season. If other starters continue to lag, it won’t be shocking to see the front office make significant moves to help out Brown and their explosive offense.