Astros Finally Rested Their Bullpen. They May Need All of It Tuesday

For much of September, the Astros treated their bullpen like there might not be a tomorrow.

Now there is one—and the bullpen may have to carry a large part of it.

Houston opens the Wild Card Series against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT without an obvious Game 1 starter. The Astros exhausted their conventional starting options during the final series against the Athletics, leaving them considering a bullpen game to open the postseason. Hunter Brown could potentially return on three days’ rest, although MLB called that unlikely.

At least the relievers Houston relies on most finally arrive with something they rarely had during the stretch run: rest.

September Took Its Toll

Houston’s bullpen had been carrying a heavy workload well before the frantic final week.

In August, 16 American League relievers threw at least 14 innings. Five of them were Astros: Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert, AJ Blubaugh, and Enyel De Los Santos. Blubaugh led that group with 16 innings.

The Astros were also heavily dependent on their best arms. Hader, Abreu, Okert, and Blubaugh combined for a 1.06 ERA over 59⅓ innings in August. Houston’s other relievers combined for a 6.62 ERA over 53 innings.

The workload only intensified as the season reached its final week.

Entering Saturday’s game against the Athletics, Blubaugh, Bennett Sousa, and Logan VanWey had each pitched three of the previous four days. Miguel Ullola had thrown 35 pitches Thursday. Abreu had worked on consecutive days Wednesday and Thursday, while Hader had not pitched since throwing 44 pitches Wednesday in Seattle—his largest regular-season workload since 2019.

Then Hayden Wesneski gave everybody a way out.

Wesneski Gave the Bullpen Its Reset

With Houston’s season hanging in the balance Saturday, Wesneski delivered seven innings in a 13-2 win over the Athletics.

He needed only 82 pitches. Ronel Blanco covered the final two innings, allowing Espada to avoid using anyone else out of the bullpen.

Sunday required more arms, but Houston still managed to protect the relievers it will most want available in a close postseason game.

Peter Lambert started on two days’ rest and recorded the first six outs. Ethan Pecko followed with three scoreless innings as Houston built a comfortable lead on the way to a 9-0 victory and the AL West title.

Most importantly for Tuesday, Blubaugh did not pitch in either of the final two games. Abreu and Hader did not appear at all during the four-game series against the Athletics. Monday’s off day gave Houston’s key late-inning arms another day to recover.

MLB now describes Houston’s bullpen as being in “really good shape” heading into the postseason—a remarkable change from where it stood entering the weekend.

Blubaugh Finally Gets a Break

No one illustrates Houston’s dependence on its bullpen better than Blubaugh.

The rookie finished the regular season with 96 innings, third-most on the Astros behind Peter Lambert and Hunter Brown. More remarkably, Blubaugh led all major-league relievers in innings pitched.

His versatility has been part of his value all season. By early September, Blubaugh had already entered games in every inning from the first through the ninth and worked multiple innings in 33 of his first 53 appearances.

Now, after pitching three times in four days last week, Blubaugh gets three consecutive days without appearing before Tuesday’s opener.

That could matter immediately. MLB identifies Blubaugh, Ullola, and left-hander Josh Hendrickson as potential multi-inning options if Houston uses a bullpen game Tuesday. The objective would be to piece together enough outs to reach Abreu and Hader.

The Goal Is Abreu and Hader

However Houston handles the early innings, the preferred destination is clear.

Hader finished the regular season with a 1.01 ERA and converted all 26 of his save opportunities. He has not pitched since Wednesday’s 44-pitch outing in Seattle. Abreu last appeared Thursday, meaning both will enter Game 1 with multiple days of rest.

The Astros’ postseason roster will determine exactly which arms Espada has available, but MLB’s current projection includes Sousa, Bryan King, Ullola, Blubaugh, Abreu, Hader, Tatsuya Imai, Hendrickson, and VanWey in the bullpen.

The circumstances are hardly ideal. Houston exhausted its normal starting options just getting through the final four games of the regular season.

But the Astros did accomplish something over the weekend that looked increasingly difficult just a few days earlier.

They gave Hader, Abreu, and Blubaugh a rest.

Now they may need all three to help carry them into Game 2.

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