The Houston Astros have struggled to be consistent from the mound throughout the year, and the latest ranking of pitching rotations proves that.
The Houston Astros are now in a position where they have to devote all of their focus to win however they can over the next week, as they are in danger of missing out on the postseason.
At this point, the Astros are in second place in the AL West as they have an overall record of 77-79, while the Texas Rangers are in the top spot with an overall record of 78-78.
For a while, the Astros were at the top of the AL West, but after getting swept by the Atlanta Braves 3-0, Houston is now in a very tight spot as they are on a three-game losing streak with only six games to go.
On that note, one of the biggest struggles for the Astros has been their pitching and the inconsistencies they have shown on the mound, which is something that has to change heading into a crucial end of the season.
With that said, ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel compiled a ranking of the MLB playoff rotations on a tier list and made it very clear where the Astros sat on that list.
On McDaniel's tiers, the Astros were ranked in the third tier and sat No. 12 overall only above the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, and Chicago White Sox. With Houston only being above three teams on these rankings, it is pretty clear that the Astros have some major questions with the postseason just around the corner.
When talking about the Astros, McDaniel mentioned the candidates on the rotation included Hunter Brown, Peter Lambert, Hayden Wesneski, Cristian Javier, Ethan Pecko, Tatsuya Imai, and Ronel Blanco.
Additionally, McDaniel noted that Brown, Lambert, and Wesneski are the Astros three best pitchers on the pitching staff. McDaniel really likes what he has seen from Brown in particular, as McDaniel mentioned that Brown's performance this season kept Houston from being in the bottom tier.
In looking at ERA, it is pretty clear why McDaniel likes Brown, Lambert, and Wesneski more than the other options. This season, Brown has recorded an ERA of 3.26, Lambert has posted an ERA of 3.70, and Wesneski has recorded an ERA of 3.50.
The problem with Brown, Lambert, and Wesneski being the top three pitchers by a significant margin is the fact that depth plays a key role in the postseason and when those three are out of the lineup, Houston has really struggled.
If the Astros can get to the postseason, they will have to lean on Brown, Lambert, and Wesneski and hopefully get enough length from each of them to limit how deep into the bullpen they have to play. Otherwise, Houston could be in danger of going home very early on.
