How Josh Hader’s Return Changes the Astros Bullpen
Josh Hader threw a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday night and earned his first save of 2026. It was one inning. It was also a glimpse of what the Astros have been missing. For more than two months, Houston operated without its closer, patching together a…
Sixth-Inning Collapse Sends Astros to Loss Against Pirates
Mike Burrows returned to Daikin Park on Lou Gehrig Day and left in line for a win. The sixth inning changed everything. With the Houston Astros leading 4-2, the Pittsburgh Pirates sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth and scored four runs to take…
Astros Rough Up Jacob deGrom, But Jose Altuve Exit Looms Large
The Houston Astros are winning the Silver Boot Series. They’re also holding their breath about Jose Altuve. Altuve left Saturday’s game after appearing to injure himself on a swing in the eighth inning, manager Joe Espada saying only that he…
Astros Pitching Crisis: 10 Starters in 21 Games
What was supposed to be the Astros’ biggest strength has become a nightly scramble. Three weeks into the 2026 season, injuries have torn through Houston’s pitching staff, forcing the club to piece together games with call-ups, short starts, and an…
Arrighetti Dominates in Season Debut as Astros Beat Rockies 3-1
Spencer Arrighetti had something to prove Wednesday night, and he proved it in style. Making his season debut after being left off the Opening Day roster, the 26-year-old right-hander threw six innings of one-run ball, striking out ten and scattering two…
Astros Squander 17-Hit Night in 8-7 Walk-Off Loss to Mariners
The Houston Astros did everything right for four innings Saturday night at T-Mobile Park. Then they did what this week has come to expect. Lance McCullers gave them a gem through four, the offense erupted for seven runs on 17 hits, and the Astros took a…
Astros Lose First Road Series to Athletics After Rooker’s Walk-Off Homer
WEST SACRAMENTO — For four hours Sunday afternoon, the Houston Astros and the Athletics put on one of the wildest games of the early season. In the end, it was Brent Rooker who had the last word. Rooker crushed a three-run walk-off homer off Bryan Abreu…
The Closer Question: Breaking Down the 2026 Astros Bullpen
Five games into the 2026 season, the Houston Astros bullpen is already the most pressing storyline in the organization, and it may stay that way for a while. Josh Hader, the anchor of the back end, is on the injured list with biceps tendinitis. General…
Astros Bullpen: Abreu at the Top, Questions All the Way Down
Bryan Abreu is one of the best relievers in baseball. What surrounds him is a different story. The Astros open the 2026 season without closer Josh Hader, who is on the injured list with a biceps issue, and without setup man Bennett Sousa, sidelined by a…
Are the 2026 Houston Astros Being Underrated?
The Houston Astros missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016, and the reaction from the pundit class has been swift and unsparing. Sports Illustrated’s stress index puts them in the “Aiming for October” tier—a polite…
