The Houston Astros’ injury fortunes were slowly starting to turn around, as they got Cristian Javier, Yordan Alvarez, and Luis Garcia all back from the injury list over the last two weeks.
For a team that has been snake-bitten by injuries this season, it was good to see some of their starters make it back for the playoff push.
However, the Astros couldn’t escape the injury bug just days into September, as right-handed starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 31) on Wednesday with elbow inflammation. That was not the news Houston wanted to hear after Arrighetti had just come off the 60-day injured list with a broken thumb.
On Thursday, Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters that they are still awaiting Arrighetti’s MRI results. But Espada said it will be “tough for him to get back” before the end of the regular season, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Lance McCullers Has Golden Opportunity to Get Back in Astros Fans' Good Graces
With Arrighetti likely to be on the shelf for the rest of the season, the Astros could go with a five-man rotation or stay with the six-man rotation, given that Javier and Garcia just came back. If Houston goes with the latter option, Lance McCullers Jr. could be the best replacement for Arrighetti.
Now, most Astros fans are over the veteran pitcher, who has been disastrous throughout this entire season.
The 31-year-old pitcher has a 2-4 record and 6.97 ERA across 13 games (12 starts). In his last five appearances, McCullers has a 7.64 ERA, with opponents recording a .396 BABIP. For those unfamiliar with the BABIP statistic, it stands for Batting Average on Balls In Play. This statistic calculates a player's batting average on balls put into play, excluding home runs, strikeouts, walks, and other non-batted ball outcomes.
The veteran has allowed 23 hits, 16 walks, 15 earned runs (two home runs), while landing 16 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched over those last five appearances. McCullers came out of the bullpen last weekend against the Angels, where he allowed three hits, two earned runs, and recorded three strikeouts in two innings.
The Astros went on to lose that game 3-0. That’s why the idea of McCullers coming back to the rotation isn’t appealing to most fans. However, despite his struggles on the mound this season, the veteran starter is battle-tested. He’s pitched in a bunch of high-stakes September games before and in the postseason.
For his career in September/October, the right-handed starter has a 3.10 ERA, while holding opponents to a .199 batting average at the plate. It’s hard to argue against those numbers, but if McCullers gets another chance, he needs to make the most of it.