Heading into Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros are holding on to their top spot in the AL West by only a half-game, as the Seattle Mariners are sitting in their rearview mirror.
This isn’t a comfortable feeling for Astros’ fans, even though this team has been banged up for much of the season, but has still found ways to win. However, it's only August, and September is still around the corner, so the race for the AL West crown is not over yet.
That being said, the Astros would love to get some more reinforcements back in the lineup and on the mound as they try to make this push. Earlier this week, they got Spencer Arrighetti back, but he wasn’t necessarily sharp against the Miami Marlins.
And granted, they still have Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez at the top of the rotation, but it's hard to depend on Lance McCullers (15-day IL), Brandon Walter (15-day IL), and Colton Gordon.
For most Astros fans, they’d be okay with McCullers being benched, who has struggled on the mound this season. However, the next candidate behind him is none other than the 26-year-old Gordon.
Colton Gordon on Thin Ice as Playoff Race Heats up
The 26-year-old southpaw has had an up-and-down first season in the majors. Through his first four starts, Gordon posted a 5.95 ERA, thanks to 24 hits and 13 earned runs (four home runs) given up across 19.2 innings pitched.
However, in June, Gordon was a much different pitcher, as he only had a 2.14 ERA across four starts. He only allowed five earned runs (four home runs) over that stretch, despite giving up 24 hits again.
But when the calendar flipped to July, the left-handed starting pitcher looked like the guy we saw on the mound in May. The rookie hurler had a disappointing 6.14 ERA across five starts. Gordon gave up 30 hits and 15 earned runs (five home runs) across 22 innings of work. He has had an issue keeping the ball in the park, posting a 5.4% home run percentage.
And then matters only got worse in his recent start on the road against the Boston Red Sox on August 2. The Sox lit Gordon up for seven hits, six earned runs (three home runs) in four innings. Even though Gordon had six strikeouts, it did not matter as the Astros lost 7-3.
In fact, the Astros have been on the losing side in four of Gordon’s last five outings. When you have a pitcher giving up homers and allowing the opponent to hit .307 at the plate, you won’t win many games.
With that being said, the Astros hope that some relief from the IL is on the horizon, as they hope to move Gordon out of the rotation and into a bullpen role.