Injuries and inconsistency have thinned this rotation all season, but a handful of arms have kept the Astros afloat.
The Houston Astros have had more than their fair share of pitching struggles for the 2026 season. Between injuries, poor performances, and disappointing outcomes, their pitching staff has been thinning all season long.
The biggest struggle was earlier in the season, when two of their top arms went down with shoulder strains. Then they found themselves waiting on four strong arms to return. Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier both had right shoulder strains, and they had Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco out with Tommy John surgery.
That being said, while waiting for these arms to return, a select few became an unexpected bright spot in the rotation.
For starters, Spencer Arrighetti was the Astros' life raft this spring. The young pitcher seemed to be the most consistent arm, and became almost a guaranteed win. He was named best pitcher in the month of May, but in June things went downhill for Arrighetti, and he didn't get a chance to make a comeback with Houston since he was traded to Toronto for Daulton Varsho. In his time with the Astros this season, Arrighetti went 7-5 with a 4.60 ERA, 87 strikeouts, and a 1.34 WHIP across 17 starts.
That trade didn't pay off right away; Varsho wasn't doing much of anything for Houston, hitting just .125 over his first 13 games. But he's turned it around since and has become a steady piece of this outfield both at the plate and in the field.
Then there is Peter Lambert, who has been their most reliable arm throughout the entire season. He not only has given countless solid outings, but hasn't landed himself on the injured list once this entire season. Lambert leads the staff with 26 starts, going 8-9 with a 3.71 ERA, 141 strikeouts, and a 1.22 WHIP over 145.2 innings, the kind of consistency this rotation has needed all year.
Hayden Wesneski has also been a reliable arm, and one of the arms they had been waiting on all season. After countless pitching struggles and disappointments, Wesneski having a beneficial return was huge for the rotation. Attacking the zone, giving them length, and command, something they desperately needed. In his nine starts since returning, Wesneski has gone 5-2 with a sharp 3.70 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP, striking out 38 over 48.2 innings.
Then, of course, there's their ace, Hunter Brown. Brown missed significant time with a shoulder strain, and the team took a hit because of it. Since his return, he did take some time to find his footing again, but once he did, he was very much so back to his old self. Brown sits at 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 18 starts.
Lambert, Wesneski, and Brown really held this staff together for the 2026 season, and while Arrighetti is gone, Ethan Pecko, who debuted just a few weeks ago, seems to be holding his own on the major league mound.
