Spencer Arrighetti has put together one of the most impressive seasons in baseball this year, but last night's 8-0 shutout loss to Detroit was another rough outing in a string of out of character starts for one of the team's most reliable arms all season.
Taking a look at how dominant Arrighetti had been this season, he hit another speed bump, but likely that's all it was. No pitcher is at the top of his game for every single start.
Arrighetti made his 2026 debut mid-April after starting in Triple-A. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in one of his early starts, eventually settling for 7.1 scoreless innings. He did not allow more than two earned runs in any of his first eight starts, per CBS Sports.
He posted a sub-1.50 ERA through his first several outings and earned AL Pitcher of the Month honors in May.
After an outstanding start, and having one excellent outing after another, Arrighetti ran into his inevitable first rough outing of the season.
That streak of dominance ended against the Pirates, when he gave up four runs on six hits including a grand slam to Henry Davis. It was officially the first time all season he allowed more than three runs in a start. Even then, his season ERA only ticked up to 1.94.
Arrighetti has dealt with a tough stretch in June, including a three home run outing against Cleveland on June 20.
Sunday against the Royals was one of his roughest starts of the season, allowing a season-high eight hits and four runs, per CBS Sports. He had allowed three or more runs in three straight outings entering Friday night.
Arrighetti struggled Friday in Detroit, continuing the recent stretch of long ball trouble. A tough way to snap the Astros' three game win streak. With every hot streak a cold streak follows, but for the Astros' sake hopefully Arrighetti is looking back to normal soon.
Even with the recent struggles, Arrighetti's season numbers remain excellent. He is still one of the most important arms in this rotation and a big reason the Astros have stayed afloat all year. The underlying metrics, including an elite hard-hit rate allowed, suggest the recent results have been worse than the actual quality of his pitching.
A few rough starts do not erase what has been a remarkable season. The Astros need him to settle back in as the team pushes toward the All-Star break.
