Despite the Astros' second loss against the Yankees in their three-game series at home, Mike Burrows looked like he was taking a step in the right direction on the mound.

The 26-year-old righty set a career-high with eight strikeouts over five innings, keeping New York's lineup off-balance for most of the night.

He did continue his trend of issuing walks, surrendering three, along with two runs. But for a pitcher who's been grinding through a tough start to 2026, Saturday felt like something to build on.

He stayed in control for most of his five innings on the mound. It wasn't until he stepped off that things began to fall apart for Houston.

Here is a look at Burrows' stats for his five innings against the Yankees, per MLB.

Burrows was at his best when he was mixing his pitches, working his mid-80s changeup and his signature curveball off his 94 mph fastball to keep Yankees hitters off balance.

For a young pitcher still finding his footing at the big league level, that kind of strikeout volume against a lineup as dangerous as New York's is hard to ignore. That said, his ERA of 6.25 and WHIP of 1.67 remain troubling, and his trend of allowing 3+ earned runs in most starts continues to be a concern.

Saturday wasn't a perfect start, but it might have been the most important one of Burrows' young season. If he can carry that strikeout form into Boston, the Astros might finally have something to feel good about in that rotation spot.