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Tag: Luis Garcia

  • Pitchers Dropping Like Flies With Astros Season on the Brink

    If at the beginning of the season we told you the Astros would be fighting for a Wild Card spot in the last week of the season despite having as many as 18 players on the IL at once and losing most of their pitching staff (and their closer) to injury, you’d probably think this was a miracle season. You would demand Joe Espada be named AL Manager of the Year and probably be boasting about what an incredible season it has been, make or miss the postseason.

    That thirty-thousand-foot-view is fine for people who don’t follow the team every day, but for hardcore fans, this season has been a disappointment. Watching the offense struggle game after game is brutal. But, far more difficult has been seeing pitchers constantly coming through the revolving door bullpen with injuries.

    Here is a list of every starting pitcher for the Astros still on the active roster who remains in the starting rotation (J.P. France and Colton Gordon are now pitching only in relief).

    Hunter Brown
    One of the best pitchers in the AL and the Astros ace with over 180 innings pitched.

    Framber Valdez
    Still a solid starter, but numbers have fallen off over the second half of the season.

    Cristian Javier
    Looks good back from surgery last year. Has thrown over 37 innings since returning.

    Jason Alexander
    Claimed off waivers in May, Alexander (with one recent exception) has been outstanding.

    AJ Blubaugh
    Rookie pitcher has been in and out of the starting rotation, but shows promise for 2026.

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    Lance McCullers, Jr. has one year left on his contract and can’t seem to stay healthy.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    Now, here are the starting pitchers who are not on the active roster.

    Luis Garcia
    Threw in just two games after two years missed due to surgery will now miss all of 2026 with elbow surgery.

    Spencer Arrighetti
    Missed a chunk of the season with a broken thumb on a fluke accident, now out for the season, possibly longer, with elbow inflammation.

    Ronel Blanco
    Missed most of the season (after nine starts) and will likely miss most of 2026 due to Tommy John surgery.

    Hayden Wesneski
    After just six starts, needed Tommy John surgery and will miss most if not all of 2026.

    Lance McCullers, Jr.
    Plagued with injuries over the last several seasons, McCullers only pitched a handful of games before being shelved for the year with other injury issues. The last year of his huge contract is 2026.

    Brandon Walter
    The promising young lefty became the fourth pitcher for the Astros this year to undergo Tommy John surgery. He could miss all of 2026.

    None of this factors in the relievers — Josh Hader chief among them — who have battled their own injury problems this season or position players like Isaac Paredes and Yordan Alvarez.

    The fact is, this has been an absolutely devastating year from an injury standpoint and it really should be a shock to fans that the Astros are even remotely in the hunt for a playoff spot given the incredible misfortune this season.

    One thing is certain, however. This team (and baseball probably in general) needs to evaluate how it deals with pitching injuries because whatever is going on right now is ridiculous.

    Jeff Balke

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  • Astros Week: Many Happy Returns, Several Frustrating Losses

    So many Astros fans have been holding their breath, waiting for the return of a number of key members of both the rotation and the lineup. Over the last couple weeks, they have gotten their wish with Yordan Alvarez, Spencer Arrighetti, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, Jr. and Luis Garcia all coming back from injuries. Even Taylor Trammel is back on the big league squad and Jake Meyers isn’t far away.

    Yet, the home stand has been, well, meh. In seven games against the Rockies and Angles, the Astros are 4-3, not ideal when you consider the combined records of their opponents. They head into a series against the Yankees and Daikin Park in much better health and with a three-game lead in the division, but still not necessarily playing great baseball. Let’s discuss.

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    Cristian Javier had six no-hit innings on Friday.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia look good.

    After returning from injury, Javier has been solid if not spectacular. That changed Friday night when “El Reptil” went six no-hit innings in a 2-0 win over the Angels. He looked as dominant as ever, something that bodes well for the Astros as they get closer to the postseason. Meanwhile, Garcia in his first game back, was outstanding. He went six innings giving up three runs on just three hits and striking out six. All of the runs were scored in four at bats, two off home runs including a Crawford Boxes special that barely cleared the left field fence. It was the absolute best the Astros could have hoped for in the returns of both pitchers to the starting rotation.

    Lance McCullers in the bullpen didn’t go well.

    After a “short term” move to the bullpen, McCullers took the mound out of the pen for the first time on Sunday since 2018. The results were mixed. He had a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh, but struggled in the eighth giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in a game the Angels ultimately won 2-0. For the former starter, the path to the postseason remains pretty clear: McCullers needs to be able to be a reliable long relief pitcher if he wants to get time on the mound. For the Astros, they have to continue to evaluate the right hander to see if he fits into their plans both short and long term. It’s complicated.

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    Yordan Alvarez has been great in is return.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    Yordan Alverez has walked a bunch.

    The Astros lefty slugger has walked eight times since returned from injury last week. Teams are already pitching around him. Unfortunately, the players around him have rarely capitalized on his getting on base. Prior to Monday’s game, the Astros were something like one for one-thousand when they had runners in scoring position over the last week. Maybe that’s a stretch. It was probably more like 2-999. Anyway, Alvarez has looked very good at the plate and other pitchers clearly see that. That can only be a good thing for the team…if they can figure out how to get a hit after his plate appearances.

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    What a surprise Ramon Urias has been.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    Ramon Urias has been the win of the trade deadline.

    Who would’ve thought this would be the win of the deadline. Sure, Carlos Correa has been outstanding both on the field and in a renewed leadership role. But, Urias has been a revelation. He has multiple home runs and absolute brilliant defense at second base where he had won a Gold Glove. The Astros have had to do whatever they can to keep him in the lineup because he has just been too valuable to sit.

    Jeff Balke

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  • Astros Week: Surviving the AL West, Yordan Rehabbing for Real, Hader Out

    The Astros are slowly but surely beginning to get players back from an injured list that was once 18 players deep. In their 124 games, they have had 117 different starting lineups. They have started 13 different pitchers and have had 28 different pitchers come out of the bullpen, not counting position players.

    Still, the struggles, mostly at the plate, continue. They are only 5-5 in their last 10 games. Good news: the Mariners aren’t faring much better. Let’s take a look at the week such as it was.

    No one is running away with the West.

    While the Astros have seemed to flail away recently, so have the one team vying for the AL West title with them. Seattle went on a 9-1 run to close the gap and even briefly tied the Astros atop the division. As of writing, they were 1.5 games back of the Astros, though that could change in nearly an instant. Both the Tigers and Blue Jays have pulled far enough ahead that it is unlikely whoever wins the West will challenge for a one or two seed in the playoffs and, at the moment, there are at least five teams in serious contention for the Wild Card spots.

    It is conceivable that either the Astros or Mariners miss the postseason altogether if they cannot win the division. There is a lot on the line and neither team is doing much to inspire confidence.

    Yordan Alvarez begins a rehab stint this week.

    If there was ever a time for good thoughts, prayers, spells cast, whatever you have to do to speed the Astros star slugger to a full recovery, get on that. On Tuesday, he will play in Corpus Christi, his first game action since the first week of May due to a broken hand. All indications are that he is nearing full strength and the Astros desperately need him. No word on how many rehab outings he will need. Just cross your fingers he stays healthy and gets back to the big league team as soon as possible.

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    Luis Garcia is looking close to returning.

    Photo by Jack Gorman

    Josh Hader is out for the regular season, probably the postseason as well.

    Hader has a capsule strain in his throwing shoulder, an injury that might be able to be rehabbed, but with the season quickly wrapping up, it would probably take some kind of miracle to get him back for the playoffs. He won’t even start throwing again for a few weeks and then will test things to see how it goes. Hader has been one of the best closers in baseball this season. His absence has strained an already thin bullpen that cannot afford even one more injury in a year loaded with them.

    Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers, Jr., Jake Meyers all could be back soon.

    The light at the end of the tunnel might not be a train after all. The reports on Garcia, McCullers and Meyers have all been positive. McCullers is with the team in Detroit though no decision has been made on when he will play or how the team will handle his return. Garcia is about to pitch his eighth rehab start. He has been very solid in his appearances thus far and should rejoin the Astros in the next few weeks. Meyers is close to getting his own rehab stint after good reports out of Florida where he is working on his calf injury.

    Jeff Balke

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  • Position Priorities for the Astros at the Trade Deadline

    Position Priorities for the Astros at the Trade Deadline

    The Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Astros have gone rather quickly from possible seller to almost certain buyer on the trade market. Just one game back in the division and facing the team ahead of them in the standings out of the gate, this is a team that believes they can win another division title and go deep in the postseason once again despite all the early season travails.

    GM Dana Brown has said they expect to be buyers at the deadline, which is July 30. But what exactly do they need? This is still a team in pretty good shape overall, but they definitely have weaknesses at several positions they will no doubt hope to address (we’ll get to whether they actually have the prospects to make it happen another time).

    POSITIONS OF ABSOLUTE NEED

    Starting Pitching
    Considering this is a team that only had eight total starting pitchers in 2023, it is absolutely remarkable the lengths they have gone to in an effort to make up for injuries that have decimated their staff. Their IL would make a formidable starting lineup if healthy. Instead, they’ve relied on rookies and pitchers who never started before and still managed to be really good. Adding depth to the rotation, even with the promise of Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia eventually returning, is a must at this point. “You can never have enough pitching” has absolutely been born out this season for the Astros. Their first and primary priority, no doubt, will be another arm for the rotation.

    Now, will they spend big or just look for an innings eater who might also be able to slide into a bullpen role? That’s a good question and one we cannot answer. But whatever the case, they need help here in the worst way.

    HIGH ON THE LIST

    Relief Pitching
    First Base

    The Astros have continued to sign warm bodies to roll into the bullpen throughout the season. It’s been necessary with all the injuries and huge workload for their pitching staff. So, it should come as no surprise they are going to be looking for additional arms for the bullpen…you can never have enough yada yada. The good news is it shouldn’t cost much. They don’t need a closer or even a setup guy. They just need a solid middle-innings reliever to complement guys like Seth Martinez and Tayler Scott — and to mitigate the struggles of Rafael Montero.

    As for first base, Jon Singleton has played extremely well since Jose Abreu was released. He isn’t ideal at that position, but he does provide power and has a very good eye at the plate. At minimum, finding another bat who can backup at first and be credible defensively, would be helpful. But don’t be surprised if they take a big swing at someone like Pete Alonso either.

    WE SHOULD BUT WE WON’T

    Third Base

    No one wants to linger on the fact it is highly unlikely Alex Bregman is an Astro next year. But, more critically, his impending free agency is set to leave a massive hole in the Astros infield, not just because he is so good but because they have literally no one in the minor leagues to replace him. It is one of the most glaring weaknesses in their farm system.

    Not making some kind of move to, at minimum, find a solid backup at the hot corner before the offseason will put a tremendous amount of pressure on the team to spend the money to replace Bregman…or spend the money to re-sign him. Either way, not making a move to do something about third is probably not in the cards even if maybe it should be.

    Jeff Balke

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  • Alvarez homers again, Astros top Mariners 4-2, lead ALDS 2-0

    Alvarez homers again, Astros top Mariners 4-2, lead ALDS 2-0

    HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez and his mighty bat did it yet again, launching a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning off Seattle ace Luis Castillo that lifted the Houston Astros over the Mariners 4-2 on Thursday for a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series.

    Alvarez was the Game 1 hero with his gut-punch, three-run shot off reigning AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray with two outs in the ninth inning that gave the Astros an 8-7 win in a game where they’d trailed by four.

    Castillo, acquired from the Reds near the trade deadline and coming off 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball against Toronto in the wild-card round, gave up an early home run to Kyle Tucker but little else as he took a 2-1 lead into the sixth.

    But with two outs, Jeremy Peña singled on a blooper that fell in between second baseman Adam Frazier and center fielder Julio Rodríguez. Castillo bent down and slapped his legs in disappointment as he watched the ball drop in shallow center.

    That brought up Alvarez, who hit a 98 mph pitch tailing away to the opposite field, into the short porch in left to put the Astros on top 3-2.

    Alvarez, who had 37 homers in the regular season, trotted around the bases as cameras panned to his Cuban parents, who are watching their first postseason series after arriving in Houston in August. The lefty pointed to them as he reached the plate before reenacting the powerful swing that has the Astros one win away from their sixth straight AL Championship Series.

    There were two outs and a runner on first in the eighth when Seattle had surely seen enough of Alvarez leaving the yard. The Mariners intentionally walked him and Alex Bregman made them pay, adding some insurance when he singled to make it 4-2.

    Houston starter Framber Valdez had a solid start, allowing four hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings. He had a different look than he did in his last postseason appearance after he and fellow pitcher Luis Garcia both got hair extensions this season.

    Hector Neris got the win after getting the last out of the sixth inning to escape a bases-loaded jam. Bryan Abreu got the first two outs of the seventh before Rafael Montero came in and threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

    Ryan Pressly walked the leadoff batter in the ninth before J.P. Crawford lined into a double play. Rodríguez doubled after that, but Pressly struck out Ty France for the save. The Astros won despite issuing seven walks overall.

    The Mariners will head back to Seattle for Game 3 Saturday in a huge hole in the best-of-five series as they host their first playoff game in 21 years.

    Alvarez has carried the Astros early in this division series, shouldering such a load that Houston catcher Martín Maldonado asked Alvarez after Game 1 if his back was sore because “you carry us as a team.” The 25-year-old bounced back this postseason after a tough time in last year’s World Series where he batted just .100 with no homers and six strikeouts.

    The slugger who’s been criticized for poor defense in the past has been making big plays in left field, too.

    Alvarez grabbed a sharp liner hit by Eugenio Suarez to end the seventh. In Game 1, he fielded a single by Suarez in the fourth and threw a perfect strike to Maldonado, who tagged out France at the plate.

    Castillo yielded five hits and three runs with seven strikeouts in seven innings.

    There was one out in the second inning when Tucker hit a slider from Castillo into the seats in right field to put Houston up 1-0.

    Crawford doubled with two outs in the third. But second baseman Jose Altuve made a leaping throw after fielding a sharp grounder hit by Rodríguez that just beat him to first base to end the inning.

    Suarez walked with one out in the fourth and Mitch Haniger doubled. Carlos Santana then hit a one-hopper that Valdez fielded cleanly toward the third base side, but his throw home was offline for an error that allowed Suarez to tie it at 1-all.

    Santana was out on the play after getting caught in a rundown. Haniger scored when Dylan Moore singled to put the Mariners up 2-1.

    Valdez walked Haniger on a full count with two outs in the sixth, Santana doubled and Moore drew a walk to load the bases and chase Valdez. Neris took over and retired Cal Raleigh on a groundout to escape the jam.

    UP NEXT

    Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr., who started just eight games this season after missing the first four months of the year with a forearm strain, will oppose rookie George Kirby in Game 3 in Seattle Saturday. Kirby pitched in relief in Game 2 of the wild-card round and became the first rookie in MLB history to record a postseason season in his first career relief appearance.

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