The Astros pitching staff has hit a rough spot.
It's already been a weird year for pitching in Major League Baseball. In addition to the pitch clock and all the new rules designed to speed up the game, starting pitchers have been struggling with injuries across the league. Just look at some of the names on the injured list: Jacob deGrom, Johnny Cueto, Luis Severino, Carlos Rodon, Frankie Montas, Ranger Suarez, Robbie Ray and Jake Odorizzi. It's quite a list.
This week, the Astros added a pair of players to what would be a pretty dominant rotation were all those players healthy and on the same team. Injuries are part of the game, but this year, it seems perhaps a bit worse. And the Astros are not immune.In addition to having Lance McCullers, Jr., Michael Brantley, Chas McCormick and Jose Altuve on the shelf, the team added Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia over just the last two days. Urquidy left his start with shoulder soreness.
The good news is Brantley and McCormick are due back within the next week or two, and Altuve began fielding grounders this week. But, the pitching situation is a serious one.With two starters hitting the IL, Brandon Bielak was brought up to fill at least one of the spots. He took over for Garcia on Monday and went four innings giving up two runs and striking out six. If he can hold it down for a week and Urquidy can return, the team may not have to make another move.
Matt Gage, the lefty reliever signed in the offseason, took Garcia's spot on the roster on Tuesday, but a starter will eventually need to fill that spot if there are two holes in the rotation. The Astros will likely want to keep it on the 40-man roster meaning Forest Whitely or J.P. France. That's assuming the need to call up a starter. Stay tuned.It's hard to pinpoint what is going on with the veteran first baseman.
When Brantley returns from injury, it will be interesting to see how Julks is handled. No doubt Brantley will get time at DH, but so will Yordan Alvarez. Julks isn't really a center fielder, so it is likely he ends up playing spot duty and getting time as a pinch hitter. He has certainly earned a spot on the roster regardless of what other players are out there., it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way.
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