Houston Astros first half review: Starting Pitchers

The Astros starting pitching has been a surprising strength in 2014. While not every pitcher has been dominant they have all kept the Astros in games, giving the offense every chance to capitalize.

The signing of Scott Feldman has been exactly what we thought, a guy who is about average that can eat innings. Jarred Cosart’s ERA is 4.17, but we have seen great maturity from his game as the season goes on.

The story has mainly been about the rise of Dallas Keuchel, who was not even projected to be on this roster to begin with. Keuchel, an All-Star snub, looks to keep his brilliant numbers as strong in the second half. I suppose you could say the law of averages will blossom his 3.20 ERA to the mid 3’s, but I hold out hope that he can remain at true ace caliber.

The real question moving forward is Brad Peacock. Even at Peacock’s best he has not shown the ability to throw six innings consistently. Will Peacock’s spot in the rotation give way to Brett Oberholtzer?

Finally Collin McHugh is the mystery man. He had no place on this roster to start the year, and earned a rotation position the hard way. Does Jeff Luhnow see Collin as a piece for the future, or a chip he can leverage high on the trade market?