Pitching has been one of the biggest struggles for the Houston Astros this season, but a few arms have risen to the occasion. With a growing injury list, these starting pitchers have really come through. Here is a look at the Astros top three pitchers of 2026:
1. Spencer Arrighetti
Arrighetti has been consistently dominant on the mound and his last start was no exception. Despite pitching well he walked away with a loss due to a lack of run support from the offense. He still maintains a 1.88 ERA and has four wins so far this season and he is one of the few Astros pitchers who gives everyone a chance to breathe when he takes the mound.
Through five starts, Arrighetti has put together one of the more impressive stretches of pitching on the entire Astros staff. His 2026 numbers speak for themselves: 4-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 innings pitched, 30 strikeouts, and a 1.33 WHIP, per MLB. For a 26-year-old who started the season in Triple-A, he has proven he belongs in the big leagues.
2. Peter Lambert
Lambert has been one of the more intriguing arms in the Astros rotation this season. He was brought in as a non-roster invitee to stabilize a rotation that has been battered by injuries and inconsistency and at his best he has done exactly that.
His standout outing came against the Guardians where he delivered one of the best starts of his career. He went six innings allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters without giving up a single run. He worked through early traffic and settled in after the first few innings retiring 9 of the final 10 batters. That is the version of Lambert the Astros will need for the rest of the season.
3. Mike Burrows
Burrows has had his struggles this season but has also shown flashes of being a reliable starter for Houston. His best outing came against the Reds where he threw a season-high seven innings, allowing no runs on just three hits while striking out six and issuing only one walk. It was also the first time in his career he had pitched into the seventh inning as a starter. 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.
His ERA still sits above five but some of the damage against him this year has come down to bad luck and poor timing rather than just poor pitching. When he is locating his pitches and staying ahead in counts he has shown why the Astros have continued to stick with him in the rotation.