So far this season, the Astros have shown they can win when the pitching is strong, and Friday night was another example of that. Mike Burrows had the best start of his career in Cincinnati. Not only was it the best of his career, but also the longest. Burrows had never thrown a pitch in the seventh inning as a starter, and Friday night he completed seven innings. He also turned in his second straight quality start.
Mike Burrows picked up his second win of the season last night, improving to 2-4 after one of his strongest outings of the year. The right-hander threw a season-high seven innings, allowing no runs on just three hits while striking out six and issuing only one walk. One of the biggest moments came in the fourth inning when Burrows worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to keep the game scoreless. It was his second straight quality start and lowered his ERA to 5.04 through 44.2 innings this season, per MLB.
Even with Burrows struggling at times this season, Friday night showed why the Astros have continued to stick with him in the rotation. His ERA still sits above five, but some of the damage against him this year has also come down to bad luck and poor timing rather than just poor pitching. When Burrows is locating his pitches and staying ahead in counts like he did Friday night, he has shown flashes of being a reliable starter for Houston moving forward.
The Astros completed the first game of the series with a 10-0 win. A dominant start to the road series.