Astros’ Joe Espada makes Lance McCullers Jr. ‘weapon’ prediction

McCullers was up to 93 mph with his fastball, which is certainly respectable considering how long he’s been away from the hill. Josh Miller, the Astros’ pitching coach, was impressed with what he saw:

“The breaking stuff hasn’t missed a beat. He’s throwing hard. He’s throwing with intent. He’s asked for more in between his mound sessions, and he looks really good,” Miller said before the start, via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome.

“This is what we hoped, on paper, would happen, and he has exceeded our expectations.”

It’s been a long, arduous journey for McCullers. He had Tommy John way back in 2018 and then had surgery again in 2023 to remove a bone spur and fix a forearm strain. The starter has dealt with numerous setbacks since then, pushing his return date further and further down the road. There were moments when McCullers Jr felt he may never step on the hill again:

“I don’t quite think people understand how long of a journey it’s been or how lonely it is (or) how hard it’s been on me to get back to this point,” Lance McCullers Jr. said. “It’s not an exaggeration where I felt as late as this past summer (that) I may never pitch again.”

When healthy, the Astros right-hander is dominant. His best season came in 2021, going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts. If he can find his best again and stay off the IL, it will be huge for this ball club in their pursuit of the playoffs.