WASHINGTON \u2014 There is one badge of honor for Mike Burrows, a pitcher whose brutal first half of the season must have him on borrowed time. No American League starter has a higher ERA, WHIP or is allowing a higher batting average, but Burrows does deliver deep outings.<\/p>\n
It is a consolation for his calamitous introduction to the Houston Astros. Burrows is becoming a burden to their rotation, though he is still a savior for their bullpen. The 94 2\/3 innings he has thrown are a team high. Fifteen of his first 16 starts featured at least five frames.<\/p>\n
For a pitching staff that missed Hunter Brown for two months and failed to replace Framber Valdez with anyone established, that matters. More is expected from a player who cost two touted prospects to acquire<\/a>, but this is what Burrows has become. It is underwhelming, yet still useful.<\/p>\n So, on Monday, there stood Burrows in the fifth inning of a game he\u2019d already given away. He took the mound in the third with a five-run lead against the Washington Nationals. Burrows handed it back after facing five batters. One of them walked, and four others had hits that left their bats faster than 98 mph. CJ Abrams\u2019 score-tying three-run homer concluded the sort of brutal sequence that has defined Burrows\u2019 dismal stretch.<\/p>\n Why this July will be an exciting month for MLB<\/p>\n Ken Rosenthal and Johnny Sweet<\/p>\n \u201cI just feel like I let our team down,\u201d Burrows said after the 12-11 loss. \u201cThey gave me a good lead, and I kinda spoiled it.\u201d<\/p>\n After he did, Burrows began to settle. Between the third and fourth innings, he retired six of seven hitters. The lone runner reached on an infield single that traveled 3 feet. This has been Burrows\u2019 formula \u2014 fall apart, find a way to fight through five or six frames, and give Houston\u2019s offense a chance to come back. He seeks quick contact, fills the strike zone and becomes efficient.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have to create some opportunities for him to go to areas where we can get some quick outs,\u201d manager Joe Espada said. \u201cHe\u2019s shown signs of that, but we need more consistency out of his pitches.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s signs where he throws a couple of good pitches, where you\u2019re like, \u2018OK, that\u2019s the shape that we want. That\u2019s the location we want.\u2019 But it\u2019s creating more consistency. Can we do it for two or three innings in a row?\u201d<\/p>\n Eighteen appearances into Burrows\u2019 tenure with the Astros, the answer is apparent. His struggles have often been softened by an ability to eat innings despite them. Failing to do so Monday altered the conversation, if the shrinking calendar already hasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n When Curtis Mead mashed Burrows\u2019 third pitch of the fifth inning for a solo home run, Washington took a lead it never relinquished. Three of the next four hitters reached base. Substitute shortstop Braden Shewmake should\u2019ve turned a double play against one of them, but Burrows is past the point of blaming poor luck. He had that excuse<\/a> for the season\u2019s first six weeks. It has since disappeared.<\/p>\n On Monday, Burrows didn\u2019t finish the fifth, surrendered seven earned runs and forced an already overworked bullpen to collect 11 outs \u2014 in a game the Astros led 6-1 entering the bottom of the third. That is difficult to defend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need more consistency,\u201d Espada said. \u201cHe\u2019s working his tail off. We got to give him credit, but we have to help him through this process and try to get him right.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether that work can come in a major-league rotation is for Espada and the Astros\u2019 pitching coaches to ponder. When posed with the question after Monday\u2019s game, Espada replied, \u201cYeah, of course. That\u2019s how you get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n Role changes are rarely announced 15 minutes after a game, but Burrows\u2019 body of work should warrant a deeper look at the viability of his spot in the rotation. His ERA rose to 5.99 after Monday. He has surrendered 21 home runs across his 18 appearances. Twelve of them have come with a runner or runners on base.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any diminished confidence,\u201d Burrows said. \u201cI\u2019m in the zone. I\u2019m not afraid to make these guys swing. You get beat a couple times a game. If it\u2019s right at someone, it\u2019s going to be a great start. If it finds its way away from them or over the fence, that\u2019s when some runs come. You can\u2019t be perfect. You just try and execute pitches and get outs.\u201d<\/p>\n