The Houston Astros will be starting right-handed pitcher Ethan Pecko in the series finale against the New York Mets as Houston looks to take the series 2-1 on the road.
The Houston Astros are coming off a tough loss in the second game of the series against the New York Mets, which now has the series tied at 1-1. Although the Astros did drop to 68-68 on the season, they still hold the top spot and a two-game lead in the AL West since the Texas Rangers lost as well.
In that loss and really the whole series, pitching has played a key role in the Astros ' ability to win, so let's take a look at the pitching matchup for the series finale.
For the final game of the series, the Astros will look to right-handed pitcher Ethan Pecko and the Mets will start left-handed pitcher Zac Thornton.
So far this season, Pecko has gained some good experience, but with just two starts he is still learning how to adjust to the MLB and has had some good points, but has also struggled at times.
Throughout the 2026 MLB season, Pecko has an overall record of 0-0 and has pitched eight innings. In those innings, he has allowed eight hits and two home runs, walked seven batters, struck out five batters, posted a WHIP of 1.88, and an ERA of 7.88.
With Pecko starting today, he must find a way to keep the Astros in the game as long as he can by limiting the number of players he allows to get on base. Last game, that is what hurt Houston quite a bit, so if Pecko can limit the damage, he may be able to give the Astros an opportunity to win this series.
Additionally if Pecko can provide some length for manager Joe Espada in this game that could limit how deep Espada needs to go in the bullpen which could be very beneficial for the Astros with the inconsistency they have had from the mound overall.
On the other side, Thornton has a lot more experience than Pecko this season as he has started 10 games and has been fairly solid for the Mets.
So far this season, Thornton has an overall record of 3-4 and has pitched 56.1 innings, and in those innings, he has allowed 51 hits and six home runs, walked 14 batters, struck out 40 batters, recorded a WHIP of 1.15, and an ERA of 2.88.
With Thornton being fairly consistent this season, it will be very intriguing to watch how he is able to match up with Yordan Alvarez who is coming off a solid performance as he hit one home run and two RBIs yesterday.
While yesterday was a great performance for Alvarez, this season has been tremendous as he has his eyes set on winning the Triple Crown, so this will not be an easy matchup for Thornton.
When looking at this pitching matchup between Pecko and Thornton, it is clear that each of them has an aspect of the game to focus on, so they give their team the best chance to win.
So, heading into this game, it will be very interesting to watch who can perform well between Pecko and Thornton, as well as how much of a factor the bullpens play in this game that will decide the series between the Astros and the Mets.
