Knocked on the ropes, Astros running out of options with patchwork pitching staff

Dusty Baker could only shrug his shoulders ahead of Game 3 of the ALCS.

For all the firepower that the Astros wield in the heart of their lineup, the state of their pitching corps ahead of the pivotal matchup at Fenway Park … didn’t inspire quite as much confidence.

If Houston was to rebound after the Sox teed off on its hobbled pitching on Saturday, it was going to need a steadying performance on the mound from Jose Urquidy. On an Astros’ pitching staff that has lost both Gerrit Cole (free agency; 2019) and Justin Verlander (Tommy John Surgery; 2020) and is now soldiering on without Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm), Urquidy was one of the few dependable options remaining for Baker at this stage of the series. 

But “dependable” might not exactly be the apt term. As solid as Urquidy’s baseline numbers were this season (3.62 ERA over 20 starts), his last start prior to Monday’s postseason bout came all the way back on Oct. 3 against the A’s — with his arm strength in question after injuries limited him in July and August.

Resting one’s hopes on Urquidy to pitch deep into a high-stakes contest and assuage a beleaguered bullpen isn’t exactly the scenario that Baker and the Astros mapped out when this series opened — but such was the hand dealt to them.  

“Well, you have to do what you have to do in times like this,” Baker said on Monday. “You have to try to do whatever you can to win today, and then you also have in the back of your mind you also have tomorrow as well because there is going to be a tomorrow. Now, when it comes down to the day when there is no tomorrow, then you'll make those adjustments accordingly.”

Regardless of the outcome, there will be a tomorrow for the Astros after Tuesday’s Game 4 tilt back at Fenway. 

But given the current state of Baker’s pitching rotation, it sure feels like Houston is operating on borrowed time.

Baker’s hopes of Urquidy righting the ship on Monday were scuttled as soon as the righty’s fastball was hewn by Kyle Schwarber in the second inning– with the Sox leadoff hitter depositing the offering into the right-field stands for Boston’s third grand slam in 11 innings.

Schwarber’s blast was the coup de grace on yet another failed outing from an Astros starter, with Baker removing Urquidy after just 1.2 innings of work — and the score 6-0 in favor of Boston. A 2-1 series deficit for the Astros almost seems palatable after taking a quick glance at the numbers on Houston’s cobbled-together rotation.

Whereas Eduardo Rodriguez was able to give his teammates a much-needed respite with six innings of work in Monday’s 12-3 win — the Astros’ three starters so far in the ALCS have only combined for 5.1 innings of work, posting an unsightly 20.25 ERA along the way. 

“It's kind of like Groundhog Day, a recurring nightmare where you hope to get some innings out of these guys,” Baker said postgame. 

Having bats like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and others can help bail you out of trouble on most nights — but clawing back from deficits is now just one hurdle that Baker and the Astros are facing right now.

Not only is Houston not getting the pitching needed to push back against a relentless Sox offense, it’s also just running out of bodies — and potential solutions — to turn to next. With Urquidy’s ineffectiveness forcing Baker to call on five different relievers to log an inning or more of work on Monday, the margin of error for the ‘Stros is slim moving forward.

In order to stave off a 3-1 hole on Tuesday, the Astros will now place their hopes in 37-year-old Zack Greinke.

That name and his lofty reputation on the mound might cause a few heartbeats to skip, but this Greinke is far from the same starter that Houston felt confident in handing the ball to in Game 7 of the 2019 Fall Classic. 

In a perfect situation, Greinke was going to be utilized in Houston’s bullpen this October — a demotion brought upon after the starter posted a 12.46 ERA over his final three starts of the regular season. Toss in two stints on the injured list last month due to a positive COVID-19 test and neck soreness, and Greinke is far from the guy that Baker planned to turn to with his club on the ropes. 

But with Luis Garcia exiting Game 2 on Saturday with a knee injury after recording just three outs — and Houston’s original Game 4 starter in Jake Odorizzi forced to eat up innings as a result — Greinke will have to be Houston’s savior on Tuesday.

The same Grinke who has not recorded an out in the sixth inning since August 23rd. The same Greinke who, even when factoring in the peak of his career, has posted a 10.22 ERA in four appearances at Fenway Park. 

“Haven’t gone real deep recently, but we’ll just see what happens,” Greinke said. “We’ll be ready, and we’ll go from there.”

Hours ahead of first pitch on Monday, Baker’s comments were those of resigned acceptance at the current state of his pitching staff. Such resignation remained minutes after the final out was recorded.

A lot can change in a game like baseball, but the Astros are now set to enter Game 4 stuck in the same unfavorable spot with their pitching personnel — but with much higher stakes in play. 

Indeed, the only thing can Baker do at this point is simply shrug his shoulders.