The Astros could use any kind of pitching stability right now, and Mike Burrows may finally be on the way to providing a little of it.
Houston’s rotation has been a mess since the calendar flipped to July. Peter Lambert is the only starter with more than 15 innings in that stretch who has managed an ERA under 4.00, and the group as a whole has posted a 5.61 ERA across 40 games while giving up a .767 OPS.
That kind of production would be hard to live with in any division. In the AL West, it has left Houston in a far more fragile spot than it probably expected to be.
The Astros still sit atop the division, but only by one game. That’s a slim cushion in a year when the AL West has not offered much resistance.
Since July 1, Houston is the only team in the division with a winning percentage above .500 at 21-19. It was the kind of run that should have helped the Astros stretch the gap.
Instead, the rotation has kept the door open.
A big part of the problem has been the revolving door on the mound. Since July 1, Houston has used nine different starters, not counting the opener game, and only two of them have made more than five starts.
Four of those starts have carried negative fWAR since July 1. That’s not a recipe for any kind of rhythm.
Burrows has been part of that injury shuffle. The 26-year-old has been on the injured list since July 15 with elbow neuritis in his throwing arm.
He hasn’t been the breakout arm Houston hoped for when it got him in a three-team trade over the offseason, but he has given the club something it desperately needs: reliability. In his starts this season, he went fewer than 5.0 innings only twice.
That kind of workload matters because it keeps the bullpen from getting buried.
On Thursday, Burrows took another step back toward the majors with Triple-A Sugar Land. He worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out five and walking two. It was his second straight scoreless rehab outing, and the velocity was encouraging too - he averaged 95.7 mph on his fastball, a tick above his 95.0 mph season average in the majors.
After throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings Friday at Triple-A, Mike Burrows threw 4 2/3 scoreless tonight for Sugar Land.
- Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 21, 2026
The timing, though, is the real issue. Houston has had plenty of chances to build a better cushion in the division or make life easier in the wild-card chase.
Now the schedule tightens up fast. After Monday’s off day, the Astros are set for 13 straight games, including six in New York against the Yankees and Mets, then a return home for four against the White Sox and three against the Diamondbacks.
Burrows should help, but he won’t be asked to fix everything on his own. If Houston is going to lock down a spot in October, the pitching staff as a whole has to start carrying its weight.
In Other News...
Joe Espadas Mound Visit Led To A Brutal Astros Surprise
Hunter Brown was rolling at Daikin Park when a routine-looking mound visit from Joe Espada turned into an unexpectedly expensive detour for Houston. Brown had worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed just one run, and he was a pitch away from finishing the sixth before the sequence on the mound shifted the night in a way nobody in the dugout seemed to want.
What should have been a simple visit instead sent the Astros into an awkward ruling once the umpires got involved, and Brown had to come out to a standing ovation after another strong outing. It left Houston with a strange midgame surprise and a reminder that even the most ordinary-looking trip to the mound can carry bigger consequences than anyone intended. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Finally Have A New Reason To Watch Alex Santos
Alex Santos has reached a new stage in his development, as the Astros organization has promoted the right-hander to Triple-A Sugar Land for the first time in his professional career. It is the latest sign that his steady climb through the system is starting to pay off, and it gives Houston another arm worth watching as the season enters its next phase.
Santos earned the move after a strong run at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he put together a 3.38 ERA across 39 games. For an Astros farm system that always seems to have a few pitching names worth tracking, this is the sort of step that can change how quickly a player gets onto the major league radar. [Read more 🡒]
Cristian Javier Is Becoming An Astros Problem At The Worst Time
Cristian Javier gave the Astros a reminder of both sides of his value in a start that began with four solid innings before the game slipped away in the fifth. Houston got the version it needed early, the one that can shorten at-bats and keep a lineup off balance, but the outing also underscored how fragile things have become every time he takes the ball as the club tries to stay on track in a crowded playoff race.
Since coming back from injury in July, Javier has not looked like a pitcher who can carry a workload the way Houston needs right now. The command has wavered, opposing hitters have had more success than usual, and the Astros have been forced to lean harder on a bullpen that is already under pressure when games get tight late in the season. [Read more 🡒]