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When the Houston Astros weren't able to land a starting pitcher at the MLB trade deadline, we're looking at you, Dylan Cease; it felt like that could be a decision that could come back to haunt the front office. Fast forward to the beginning of the last month of the regular season, and Joe Espada's latest decision seems to be confirmation of that fear. Espada told reporters earlier this week that struggling starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will be moved to the bullpen temporarily.
“I think he’s capable of doing anything,” Espada said. “I think Lance is a really good pitcher. We’re trying to find opportunities to get him going and maybe pitching out of the bullpen for an outing or two can get him going. I think the adjustment is not going to be easy to make; he’s never pitched out of the bullpen, but we believe he can do it.”
When McCullers hasn't been injured this season, he's been bad. Through 48 and 1/3 innings pitched this season, McCuller sports an ERA of 6.89. His struggles, along with a pitching staff wrecked by injuries, are one of the reasons why it felt like adding a starting pitcher at the deadline was going to be a priority. Instead, it was the final move Dana Brown tried to push across the finish line, but was unable to work out a deal with the Padres for Cease.
Astros pitching outlook just got messy after Lance McCullers Jr. update
It's also hard to pinpoint what the Astros see that makes them believe McCullers Jr. could be successful out of the bullpen, considering he has only 2 and 1/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen for his career. If anything, it seems that the Astros are hoping that his success during his first time through a lineup this season, 2.93 ERA with opposing hitters just over .200, and believing that will be why he can have some success out of the bullpen.
In the meantime, it feels like a returning Luis Garcia could take McCullers' spot in the rotation. It's been a two-year recovery from Tommy John surgery for Garcia, but he seems to be in line to return to the Astros next week. Garcia was once on the ascent toward being a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Astros, but expecting him to reach that level after two years away feels like hope trafficking.