The Houston Astros entered 2026 expecting a deeper starting rotation. Instead, with 35 games remaining and a division title still very much at stake, they have matched a franchise record that stood for 60 years.
Ethan Pecko became the 17th different pitcher to start a game for Houston this season when the 23-year-old made his major league debut Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park. That tied the franchise record set by the 1965 Astros.
The circumstances surrounding the two teams could hardly be more different.
The 1965 Astros finished 65-97 in the franchise’s fourth season and first under the Astros name. The 2026 club is trying to win the AL West and entered Thursday with a two-game lead over the Texas Rangers.
Yet Houston has spent much of this season searching for stability in a rotation that has been reshaped repeatedly by injuries, ineffectiveness, roster moves, and experimentation.
Houston added five potential starters through free agency and trades during the offseason, but that depth has not produced a settled major league rotation.
Of those five additions, only Tatsuya Imai is currently with the major league club, and he has been working out of the bullpen. Mike Burrows is on the injured list, Ryan Weiss and Kai-Wei Teng are at Triple-A Sugar Land, and Nate Pearson was dealt to the Kansas City Royals.
Houston also traded Spencer Arrighetti at the deadline despite the right-hander still being tied for the second-most starts on the team this season. The Astros did not acquire another starting pitcher at the deadline, instead relying largely on pitchers already in the organization to stabilize the rotation.
That has produced an unusually long list of starters.
Bryan King became No. 16 when Houston used him as an opener during a bullpen game against the San Francisco Giants. Pecko became No. 17 on Wednesday after Ronel Blanco was optioned to Triple-A following his struggles since returning from elbow surgery.
Pecko at least gave the Astros reason to believe No. 17 could help them beyond a single start.
The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits over 3⅔ innings against the Angels, walking three and striking out four. Pecko needed 89 pitches to get through the outing and struggled particularly with his four-seam fastball, but still generated 11 swings and misses overall.
Houston’s bullpen took over from there, combining for 5⅓ scoreless innings in the 3-2 victory.
Pecko acknowledged afterward that his command was not where he wanted it, while manager Joe Espada praised his swing-and-miss ability and overall arsenal. Espada said Pecko could be dangerous if he is able to consistently get his pitches into the strike zone.
The Astros will need whatever stability Pecko and the rest of the rotation can provide.
Houston began a stretch Tuesday in which it will play 19 games in 20 days. That workload leaves little room for abbreviated starts or frequent bullpen games, particularly with the Astros trying to protect a narrow lead in the AL West.
Peter Lambert, one of the steadier members of the rotation this season, gets the ball Thursday night as Houston faces the Angels in the rubber match of their three-game series.
Sixty years after 17 starters were required to get a 97-loss Astros team through a season, the same number has resurfaced under dramatically different circumstances.
This time, Houston is hoping pitcher No. 17 can help carry it to October.
