Astros: 3 key pieces needed to hold this bullpen together

Houston Astros, Blake Taylor (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Houston Astros, Blake Taylor (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Houston Astros, Andre Scrubb
Houston Astros, Andre Scrubb (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

2. Andre Scrubb

Andre Scrubb is an interesting case. It feels like he’s walking on a tight rope of disaster, just one bad outing away from never recovering and getting Brad Lidge-d out of dominance. That said, I’m not going to hold against him what hasn’t happened yet.

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As it stands. Scrubb is showing some nasty stuff, and his numbers are reflective of that. a 0.69 ERA? 95% LOB%? He’s yet to give up a home run. Opponents only hit .167 against him.

Scrubb is the real deal. He dances with danger, but when the moment asks for it, he bears down and gets the job done.

Am I worried that his FIP is 4.17? Am I worried that he’s just as likely to walk a batter than strike him out? Sure. But the point is, if Scrubb skews in the right direction, if he continues to be reliable in the clutch and can maintain this incredible and perhaps slightly lucky run of form, then what is luck anyway?

Scrubb is a potential pillar because he can embody this clutch mentality and become one of our go-to guys. He already is.

Lastly, No. 1.