Houston Astros turn to Cristian Javier to start series finale vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Houston's starting rotation has turned in better performances over the past two weeks and Cristian Javier will look to build on a strong outing in his most recent start.
In their final series game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Houston Astros have named Cristian Javier to start for Thursday's match. Manager Joe Espada revealed this on Wednesday, highlighting Javier's role in maintaining an improved trend by the already struggling pitching staff. Following Hunter Brown's game on August 28, which ended a 14-game streak where no starter completed six innings, an 11-game span concluded with Javier pitching five innings in his last appearance against Arizona.
Despite Javier's recent performance, neither he nor rookie Ethan Pecko has managed to pitch long outings recently. The Astros' rotation ERA stands third-highest (4.94) and starters throw fewer innings (seventh-fewest) in the major leagues. Ethan Pecko and Brown have managed to pitch quality starts in the last two games, a first for Astros starters in a month.
Peter Lambert and Brown have churned another pair of quality starts on September 6 and 8. Wesneski has secured four quality starts in eight outings since returning from elbow surgery. The Astros currently lead the AL West by two games over the Texas Rangers and boast a tiebreaker advantage. They have 17 games remaining in the regular season.
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