Astros' 6.19 rotation ERA might spell disaster for 2026 season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Astros are off to a 9-16 start to the 2026 MLB season, and things don't look to be getting any better anytime soon.
Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers, and so many pitchers are all hurt this season. Houston's rotation was a big problem last year with injuries, and the same thing is a major problem for the Astros in 2026.
But it's a lot worse than those injuries. The Astros' rotation, as ESPN's Alden Gonzalez highlighted, has a 6.19 ERA, which might spell disaster for the 2026 season if that number doesn't improve soon.
"6.19. That's the Astros' rotation ERA, dead last in the majors," Gonzalez writes. "And though it's early, it validates one of the primary concerns about this team heading into the season. It could also speak to a larger theme - about how their run of dominance might be ending."
The Astros made seven straight appearances in the American League Championship Series, but failed to make it there in 2024. Add in missing the postseason in 2025, and the Astros have been getting a little worse each season.
If that trend continues, they might not have a winning record this year. Such a future is very possible with this team, and it would be thanks in large part to the poor production from the starting rotation.
Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Cody Bolton, and a few others are on the injured list this season. But among the only healthy pitchers in the rotation, only one has an ERA below 6.00, and it's Spencer Arrighetti's 2.45 ERA in two starts.
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Michael Burrows has a 6.75 ERA in five starts, Lance McCullers Jr. has a 6.20 ERA in four starts, Peter Lambert has a 7.20 ERA after one start, while Ryan Weiss has a 6.50 ERA in two starts and seven outings in total.
Imai, before his injury, posted a 7.27 ERA in three starts and 8.2 innings pitched, while Javier had a 12.54 ERA in three starts across 9.1 innings pitched.
Combined with Josh Hader on the injured list and Bryan Abreu's 14.73 ERA, the pitching staff is a huge issue for the Astros. As Gonzalez notes, "It could spell disaster for the 2026 Astros."
The starting rotation is banged up, pitching very poorly, and they aren't getting much help from the bullpen either. Even though the offense has been good, the pitching staff has been a huge problem for the Astros this season, and one that might lead to a losing record in 2026.
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