On June 12th, he recorded a personal best 15 strikeouts in 7 innings in a start against the Milwaukee Brewers; in that game, the Astros notched a team-record 24 strikeouts in 14 innings and won, 6-3.

In that game, Verlander set two more milestones while recording 12 strikeouts: he became the 18th pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts in his career, and also reached the 300 mark in a season for the first time. In their place, the Astros plan to move Collin McHugh back to the rotation and signed Wade Miley to an affordable free agent contract.

Brian McTaggart: "Astros deal for Greinke in Deadline stunner: Houston gives up 3 of top 5 prospects for former Cy Young winner". They set another record by hitting 6 homers in the first two innings in that game, and the combined scored of 36-1 over two games was also completely unprecedented. He was never on anyone’s prospect’s radar, quietly posting decent numbers as he worked his way through the Astros organization. His strikeout rate wasn’t the beneficiary however, as it dropped to the lowest it’s been since his rookie year. Smith suffered a nasty ankle injury over the offseason and will likely be sidelined until mid-season. Visit ESPN to view the Houston Astros team roster for the current season The new sweeping action on the pitch gave him a different look than the 12-6 movement of his curveball.

But if he stumbles, there are plenty of pitching prospects waiting to take his place come May or June.

The genesis of this was a question: Someone asked me if there had ever been a better October collection than what the Astros have going for them in 2019. Managed by A.J. As you’d expect, his fastball velocity played up in shorter stints and his high-spin curveball was as effective as ever. Cole is just 28, but he too is in his final year of contract. Greinke allows 4 runs, Astros offense struggles as they drop game one to the A’s, 4-2 from CrawfishBoxes.com at 9/8/2020 7:36:00 PM Game 42-43 Thread, Sept. 8, 2020. AL East: Baltimore • Boston • New York • Tampa Bay • Toronto

His breakout was fueled by a massive increase in velocity—likely the result of treatment for sleep apnea. 2018 Stats: 71 IP, 2.54 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 1.9 fWAR2019 Projection: 67 IP, 3.09 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 0.9 fWAR. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. His fastball velocity will probably come back down to where it was back in 2017, but his slider gives him a higher strikeout rate ceiling. Cole and Verlander share similar profiles, so it’s not shocking to see the two move closely together in usage, but that makes it no less devastating for the league.

Do you have a sports website? 2019 should be another impressive year for the top of Houston’s rotation, but the future is less clear. Find the MLB Houston Astros player roster for this season on FOX Sports. But a critical front office mistake likely cost them a shot at such a precious opportunity.

Gabe Lacques: "'A blessing and a curse': Astros' talent overload creates gridlock for MLB-ready players".

2018 Stats: 38 IP, 2.37 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 1.2 fWAR2019 Projection (ZiPS): 54 ⅔ IP, 2.96 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 0.9 fWAR. Mariners fans will get very familiar with Forrest Whitley soon enough, though a suspension for amphetamines last year likely delayed his big-league call-up until midseason. He posted the highest strikeout-rate and walk-rate differential of any minor league pitcher last year and ended the year with a brief call up in September. NL East: Atlanta • Miami • New York • Philadelphia • Washington The Astros’ rotation depth! After reaching a nadir in 2014, averaging 93.3 mph on his four-seam, Verlander has climbed all the way back up to 95.4 mph since joining the Astros. He led their relief corps with 1.4 fWAR accumulated over 72 innings. On September 28th, a 6-3 win over the Angels clinched home field advantage throughout the postseason for the Astros. Coaches: Alex Cintron, Michael Collins, Joe Espada, Don Kelly, Joshua Miller, Gary Pettis, Troy Snitker and Brent Strom Ballpark: Minute Maid Park. The Astros saw enough promise in his new repertoire to sign him to ostensibly replace Dallas Keuchel in their rotation. The Astros hit their first road bump in June when they lost seven straight games, a first for them since 2015. They were then forced to backtrack and apologize (although it was not a particularly heartfelt one) and it was likely that Major League Baseball would issue some punishment regarding the embarrassing incident.

The team was firing on all cylinders at that point, with Springer leading the American League in a slew of hitting categories, including hits, runs homers, RBIs, total bases and OPS+. Find out more. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater.

2019 Houston Astros / Franchise: Houston Astros / BR Team Page []. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Week in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. Two of the homers were hit by rookie sensation Alvarez, including one that reached the upper right-field deck at Minute Maid Park, something only achieved once previously in the ballpark's history. A year later, the Houston Astros came dangerously close to matching that level of production. The Houston Astros are now runner-ups in the 2019 World Series. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC.

The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. They then resumed their torrid pace in July when they went 16-8 to increase the lead to 8 games.

Brian McTaggart: "Historic Astros debut for Sanchez: Combo no-no".

Verlander was also putting together one of his vintage seasons, with a record of 7-1, 2.38 after 10 starts. Record: 107-55, Finished 1st in AL Western Division (2019 AL) They added a seventh homer later in the game to tie the team's record, set on the same day in 2000.

Deetz converted to a relief role full time last year and made his major league debut in September. He struck out a laughable 34.5% of the batters he faced while walking just 8.0%, transforming his four-seam and curveball into a devastating combo. The 24-year-old was solid after the Astros traded for him at a discount from the Blue Jays while he was serving a 50-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. Bob Nightengale: "Astros dominate opponents behind powerful offense, spectacular pitching". AL Central: Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Kansas City • Minnesota

Get the latest official stats for the Houston Astros. Rondón was plucked off the trash heap after the Cubs released him and managed to find some work in the ninth inning with the Astros while Osuna served his suspension. Record: 107-55, Finished 1st in AL Western Division Won AL Pennant. But without a strong strikeout rate to back up his contact management, he’ll be hard pressed to replicate his success this year.