Astros’ latest franchise record is nothing to celebrate — it’s a huge problem

On Monday, Luis Garcia made his season debut for the Houston Astros and he turned the clock back with six scoreless innings to pick up the win in the Astros’ series opener against the Angels. While Garcia’s start was a great sign in terms of the future of the Astros’ rotation, it also helped the team set a new record, as Garcia became the 22nd Astros pitcher to record a win this year. 

Although that record can be viewed as good news considering it speaks to the Astros' pitching depth, it also is a tangible example of how much the Astros have dealt with pitching injuries this year. Given Houston's playoff aspirations and how important the rotation is during the postseason, this poses a big problem.

Record number of starters used by the Astros this year could come back to bite them in the playoffs

The list of pitchers who have won a game for the Astros game features some names that stump even the most loyal fans. While we have studs like Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown at the top, there’s also guys like Tayler Scott and Enyel De Los Santos who quietly picked up wins in the bullpen. 

In total, five of the pitchers who have recorded a win for the Astros have been worth negative bWAR this season, and nine of the pitchers who have recorded a win have a negative record. The win doesn’t mean nearly as much as it used to when it comes to determining a player’s value, but that stat shows how many subpar pitchers have appeared in a game for the Astros this year. 

The good news for the Astros is that the other side of Garcia’s return is that their starting rotation is beginning to come into form. Brown and Valdez are as good of a 1-2 in baseball (even if Valdez’s outburst on Tuesday was tough to watch), while Garcia looked like the No. 3 we’re used to. 

Jason Alexander has been a big surprise for the Astros this year, but it’s hard to believe Joe Espada and the Astros front office will give him the same kind of leash they’re going to give their more established starters. Even if the Astros’ pitching injuries are scary to think about ahead of the postseason, history has shown that they can still have postseason success even with a dearth of pitching talent. 

In 2021, Houston had 21 pitchers pick up a win (which was the previous record) and still made it within two games of winning the World Series. Surely you remember when Yimi García and Ralph Garza picked up wins for the 2021 Astros. 

The Astros’ bats have begun to figure things out after a rough beginning to August, but their path to the postseason keeps getting tighter thanks to their recent swoon. We’ll have to wait and see if any new pitchers pick up a win as the Astros work to turn things around. 

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