The Houston Astros got a great performance from pitcher Hayden Wesneski on the mound, and moving forward, if he can replicate this performance, this team could be in a much better spot with the playoffs just around the corner.
The Houston Astros were able to pick up a key win against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night by a final score of 2-0.
A major reason the Astros were able to pick up a victory is due to the solid performance by right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski, who provided Houston seven strong innings, which is something that the Astros have not been able to get much this season.
In terms of Wesneski's overall stats, he pitched seven innings, and in those innings, he allowed one hit, walked two batters, struck out five batters, and posted an ERA of 3.18. This performance from Wesneski was a great thing to see, and if he can continue to play like this, the Astros may have an opportunity to make a deeper postseason run than most expect.
On the topic of Wesneski's performance, it seems he has separated himself as one of the Astros best pitchers which is backed up by his performance on Wednesday, but also by another strong performance he had in August.
Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart posted on X that in the 34 games since July 26th, only two Astros pitchers have been able to complete seven innings, and both of those pitchers happen to be Wesneski. The first instance was on August 10th, and the second instance was this past game on September 2nd.
On August 10th, the Astros also picked up a victory as they defeated the San Francisco Giants by a score of 6-3. In that game, Wesneski pitched seven innings and allowed five hits, three runs, two home runs, walked two batters, struck out four batters, and posted an ERA of 3.86.
While Wesneski did allow the Giants to have some success from the plate, his ability to give the Astros length and find a way to help Houston get the win were the two most important things.
When it comes to Wesneski being able to give the Astros a full seven innings, it is huge, especially with the playoffs around the corner, because Houston needs to find pitchers who can shut down batters from the mound but can also do so consistently for seven innings.
Additionally, the Astros have another pitcher who has the ability to provide length and can provide solid length in the form of Peter Lambert.
This season, Lambert has pitched 132.2 innings, and in those innings, he has allowed 109 hits, 56 runs, 13 home runs, walked 56 batters, struck out 131 batters, and posted an ERA of 3.66.
Now looking at Wesneski this season, he has pitched 39.2 innings and has allowed 28 hits, 14 runs, two home runs, walked 14 batters, struck out 33 batters, and has recorded an ERA of 3.18.
So, heading into the final stretch of the regular season and looking ahead to the postseason, it seems clear that Wesneski and Lambert are two of the more consistent pitchers for the Astros, and if they can both continue playing like they are, this team has the opportunity to make a push for the American League title.
