Cristian Javier lasted just three innings in his start Sunday, which once again put the Astros’ bullpen in an unfavorable situation that left Houston’s options limited late in a 6-5 loss to Texas.
John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Houston Astros center fielder Brice Matthews can’t make a leaping play on a triple by Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung during the first inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Josh Jung of the Texas Rangers is a safe with a triple ahead of the throw to Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes during the first inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom looks out from the dugout prior to a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore tosses a rosin bag as Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros round the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros singles against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Bryan Abreu #52 of the Houston Astros delivers against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 12: Cristian Javier #53 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford looks away as a halftime by Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith lands in the seats during the eigth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford celebrates reaching second base on an error after hitting a leadoff single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington. Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is at left.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Houston Astros center field Taylor Trammell can’t make a play on a triple by Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo pumps his fist as he heads down the line after hitting a walk-off single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Texas Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on Sunday, July 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON — At the end of an arduous first half, the Houston Astros attempted to wring three more outs from a key reliever. Bryan King, who had already expended 21 pitches in a seventh inning in which he left the bases loaded, trotted back to the mound for the eighth with a newfound lead.
Three seasoned Astros relievers had already entered Sunday’s finale against the Rangers. Cristian Javier lasted three innings in his first start since a shoulder injury, pressing the bullpen into early action. Javier totaled 60 pitches as Texas built a three-run lead against him.
“We were prepared for that, we knew that Javi was going to be limited,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of the right-hander, who had pitched twice in relief since his IL stint. “But we had a fresh bullpen, and we deployed it. And they kept us in the game. We had a shot to win that game.”
Article continues below this ad
Enyel De Los Santos, Bryan Abreu and Steven Okert all worked as the Astros turned a 3-0 deficit into a 4-4 tie. King preserved it with an escape in the seventh. Cam Smith struck a home run in the eighth to give Houston a 5-4 edge. Nobody warmed in the visitors’ bullpen at Globe Life Field.
A night earlier, AJ Blubaugh had thrown 43 pitches in two innings. Nate Pearson and Alimber Santa were both ostensibly fresh, but neither is a high-leverage preference for Houston. Closer Josh Hader is limited to one-inning appearances after returning from a 10-month injury hiatus.
King is among Houston’s most trusted relievers, and has been one of its most effective. Before allowing two homers Friday, the left-hander had allowed one run over his previous 17 outings. A dearth of other options prolonged this one, and he returned for the eighth inning.
Article continues below this ad
“It was tough,” King said. “But game’s on the line, so we had to do it. Had to dig deep, and it didn’t work out, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
What ensued punctuated Houston’s pallid first half. King got two outs before Kyle Higashioka hit a game-tying home run, the Rangers strung three soft singles off Hader in the ninth, and the Astros were walked off in a 6-5 loss that underscored an issue a 47-51 team must address in order to salvage its season.
Lack of reliability in the starting rotation is taxing Houston’s bullpen and testing the limits of its lineup’s ability to be resilient. Just six major-league clubs are averaging fewer innings per game by their starters. The Astros’ 5.26 rotation ERA is higher than that of all but two teams, the Athletics and Rockies.
BATTERS
AVG
OBA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
CS
E
Team Totals
.242
.315
3292
449
796
151
7
133
428
322
797
34
12
42
Alvarez
.318
.426
349
65
111
17
0
31
70
63
72
1
0
2
Peña
.287
.347
195
35
56
9
0
6
22
15
35
8
1
5
Correa
.279
.369
122
22
34
8
0
3
16
18
26
1
0
1
Delgado
.267
.313
30
3
8
1
0
1
4
2
5
0
0
2
Shewmake
.256
.272
78
10
20
4
0
3
9
2
13
0
0
2
Paredes
.254
.349
331
39
84
18
0
12
49
37
61
0
0
6
Wade
.250
.294
32
6
8
2
0
2
8
2
11
0
0
0
Diaz
.248
.276
165
18
41
9
0
6
23
6
27
0
1
1
Allen
.241
.292
87
14
21
3
0
1
9
6
22
2
0
2
Walker
.237
.313
359
50
85
19
1
20
58
33
90
0
0
0
Altuve
.235
.307
285
45
67
13
1
11
27
29
70
2
2
3
Trammell
.230
.293
113
14
26
5
1
3
11
9
42
1
0
1
Dezenzo
.228
.302
57
9
13
4
0
1
3
6
24
1
0
1
Harris
.226
.286
31
4
7
0
1
0
4
2
6
2
0
0
Vázquez
.220
.277
173
18
38
6
0
5
22
14
32
1
0
0
Smith
.218
.292
321
39
70
13
1
12
34
31
85
9
1
4
Loperfido
.216
.314
102
13
22
7
1
1
12
14
31
1
1
1
Meyers
.206
.264
136
14
28
6
0
3
11
10
30
1
2
0
Matthews
.197
.250
208
23
41
5
1
7
22
15
71
4
4
1
Price
.167
.231
12
1
2
1
0
0
0
1
6
0
0
1
Cole
.157
.189
51
4
8
1
0
3
8
1
21
0
0
1
Johnson
.143
.294
14
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
Whitcomb
.130
.167
23
2
3
0
0
2
5
1
11
0
0
0
Salazar
.056
.227
18
0
1
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
___
PITCHERS
W
L
ERA
G
GS
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
Team Totals
47
51
4.81
98
98
28
865.1
789
496
462
137
427
844
Ullola
0
0
0.00
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
0
0
7
Meyers
0
0
0.00
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Hader
3
1
1.17
17
0
10
15.1
6
2
2
1
8
25
Santa
0
1
1.17
10
0
0
15.1
8
6
2
1
6
9
VanWey
1
0
1.50
5
0
0
6
5
2
1
0
0
5
Okert
2
1
2.31
46
1
0
46.2
27
12
12
5
12
47
King
2
2
2.93
40
0
6
43
40
16
14
4
16
33
Lambert
8
5
3.14
15
15
0
86
63
30
30
11
33
81
Brown
1
0
3.57
7
7
0
35.1
27
16
14
5
22
39
Pearson
1
0
3.60
16
0
1
20
16
10
8
1
12
16
Blubaugh
4
2
3.75
36
0
0
60
46
26
25
7
30
60
De Los Santos
0
2
4.33
41
0
5
43.2
40
23
21
5
10
40
Teng
4
6
4.36
23
10
0
64
59
35
31
10
28
63
Arrighetti
7
5
4.50
15
15
0
82
65
43
41
12
44
81
Roa
0
1
5.19
7
0
0
8.2
10
5
5
1
7
6
Bolton
0
1
5.40
8
3
1
20
21
12
12
3
14
22
Abreu
2
3
5.81
34
0
5
31
26
22
20
7
26
40
Burrows
4
9
5.99
18
17
0
94.2
112
69
63
21
35
75
Imai
5
4
6.06
13
13
0
52
45
35
35
9
33
63
McCullers
2
3
6.86
8
8
0
39.1
38
32
30
7
22
43
Murray
0
0
7.43
8
0
0
13.1
19
11
11
1
7
8
Weiss
0
3
7.62
9
2
0
26
35
24
22
8
20
30
France
0
0
8.10
3
0
0
6.2
6
6
6
1
5
4
Sousa
0
0
8.10
5
0
0
3.1
3
3
3
0
5
4
Salazar
0
0
9.00
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
Alexander
1
1
9.33
4
2
0
18.1
21
19
19
4
8
14
Javier
0
1
9.98
6
4
0
15.1
20
17
17
3
15
12
Gordon
0
0
11.57
4
1
0
9.1
21
12
12
6
3
11
Muñoz
0
0
15.75
3
0
0
4
7
7
7
3
6
6
A bullpen that began Sunday with baseball’s lowest ERA since May 15 has lent balance, but the formula seems unsustainable. Only six bullpens amassed more innings in the first half than the Astros. Only four logged more appearances of more than three outs prior to Sunday.
Article continues below this ad
Twenty-five American League relievers have at least 40 outings this season. Three reside in the Houston bullpen: Okert, De Los Santos and King, the club’s de facto setup man. In his 40 outings, King has made 10 that spanned multiple innings. Okert and De Los Santos have combined for 27.
That the Astros have the fewest blown saves in baseball reinforces how well the relief corps has pitched. But it is being asked to shoulder a heavy burden. In six of the last 10 games before the break, the Astros received fewer than five innings from their starting pitcher.
Peter Lambert, arguably the staff’s most reliable starter in the first half, authored two of the exceptions. Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti each accounted for one. Brown and Lambert are perhaps the lone certainties right now in a rotation that could be in flux in the second half.
Ronel Blanco, who threw 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in a Triple-A rehab start Sunday, appears on the cusp of returning from his Tommy John recovery. Hayden Wesneski, who threw 4 ⅔ innings in a Triple-A rehab outing Saturday, may not be far behind.
If both return, the Astros will face some interesting decisions. They already hinted at one, putting Javier, the highest-paid pitcher on their roster, in the bullpen initially upon his return from the IL. Sending Mike Burrows to Triple-A amid his struggles opened a spot that Javier filled Sunday.
Article continues below this ad
Javier had thrown 30 and 39 pitches in his two relief outings, leaving him limited, but the start still may have offered the right-hander a chance to make a case for more. Javier allowed three runs in his three innings, with four hits allowed, three walks and four strikeouts.
“I really liked the fastball today,” Espada said. “They actually barreled a few balls that were well-executed pitches, that were down, and were able to find some holes. But I thought it was a good showing by Javi.”
Javier, who did generate 10 whiffs on 30 swings, said through an interpreter he felt “my stuff was great” and he “had the confidence to compete with every one of my pitches.” Javier said he has “felt great” in each of his outings since returning from a Grade 2 shoulder strain.
Asked if he is open to pitching in the bullpen if that becomes his role again in the second half, Javier said: “Yeah, of course. I’m here just to try to do the best I can do out there and try to help the team in any way possible.”
Other starters, still, have struggled. Arrighetti’s past seven starts yielded an 8.74 ERA. Tatsuya Imai posted a 6.06 ERA in his first 13 starts in MLB, with no semblance of consistency. The Astros received fewer than five innings from starters in 36 of 98 first-half games, more than one-third.
Article continues below this ad
A dreadful division remains in reach despite that. The Astros entered the break only three games behind first-place Texas in the AL West and 1 ½ games out of an AL wild-card spot, proximity that reinforces their need to shore up the rotation, whether by internal reinforcement or at the trade deadline.
“I think we’re in a great spot,” first baseman Christian Walker said Sunday afternoon. “At the end of the year, you want a chance, you just need to be close. Anybody can get hot at the right time.”
No better method for it may exist than stringing together quality starts. The Astros did not receive three straight quality starts at any point in the first half, inviting the question of whether rotation help may be the greater trade deadline need than general manager Dana Brown’s stated desire for a left-handed bat.
Internal options could provide more consistency, as well, but it seems Houston must find it somewhere. Four idle days offer a chance to consider possibilities before the Astros resume a months-long effort to claw their way back to the .500 mark, and beyond.
“We’ve got to walk into the clubhouse every single day believing that we can win, preparing ourselves to win and execute, doing the small things that we do very well,” Espada said. “If we do that, we’re going to stay in this fight.”