Mike Burrows faced his former team Tuesday night and it did not go well.
Burrows took the loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 2, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits and 5 walks in just 5 innings. A pair of multi-run home runs did most of the damage and ultimately sealed his fate. Here is a look at his full stat line, per MLB:
IP: 5.0, H: 8, R: 6, ER: 5, HR: 2, BB: 5, SO: 3, Pitches: 90 (56 strikes), Decision: L
This is exactly the kind of outing the Astros can not afford right now. Burrows had shown some encouraging signs in his last two starts, including a strong seven inning performance against the Rangers, but Tuesday was a step back. The command issues that have plagued him all season showed up again with five walks on 90 pitches.
The bright spot of the night was Yordan Alvarez, who homered on the first pitch he saw, giving him 21 on the season and moving him into second place in the MLB home run race, one behind Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies, who leads with 22.
It was a tough night for Burrows, especially against his former team. He had been showing signs of turning things around and the Astros are going to need him to find that consistency sooner rather than later.
The Astros will need a bounce back performance from the rotation as the series continues. Wednesday brings one of the most anticipated matchups of the week with Spencer Arrighetti facing Paul Skenes, two of the best young pitchers in baseball right now.
