Astros’ Joe Espada shares eye-opening take on weapon with ‘game-changing’ stuff

Hunter Brown was once thought to be a big part of the Houston Astros’ future as a potential front-line starting pitcher, but he has not lived up to expectations so far in the major leagues, but his recent starts indicate he could be on an upward trajectory after utilizing a sinker.

“That’s the Hunter that we all know. He can be that type of pitcher. He’s got the stuff,” Astros manager Joe Espada said after Brown threw six innings and allowed two runs against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. “That sinker was a game-changer — throwing that stuff in on their hands and setting up the four-seamer up, the breaking ball.”

While Hunter Brown did pitch well, the Astros suffered a rough 2-1 loss to the Angels in the game. Still, in the big picture, this is a positive development for Houston, as the pitching staff has been a big reason why the team has not performed up to expectations and is in the hole that they dug themselves in.

Brown’s last four starts have been better than what he showed before. On May 5, he pitched 4.1 innings and gave up two runs against the Seattle Mariners, then followed that up with five innings and one run given up against the Detroit Tigers on May 11. On May 17, Brown pitched five innings and gave up four runs against the Milwaukee Brewers, which was the start before the aforementioned Angels game.

Joe Espada has received criticism in his first season as the manager of the Astros, but the pitching staff simply has not performed. The Astros as a team have a 4.58 ERA, which is the fourth worst, according to MLB.com. That is not going to cut it, no matter who is in the dugout.

How can the Astros turn this season around?

It is foolish to count out the Astros with the experience they have, especially considering the fact that no one has run away with the American League West as of yet. Houston is five games behind the Mariners, who sit in first with a 27-23 record. The defending champion Texas Rangers sit in second with a 24-26 record, three games out of first and two games ahead of the Astros. Houston currently has a 22-28 record overall, which is a better record than it was a few short weeks ago.

The recipe for the Astros is simple, they have to piece things together much better when it comes to the rotation than they have so far in this season. If that does not improve, Houston is likely in trouble. Players like Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman have to perform to expectations as well. Kyle Tucker is in the MVP conversation with the way he has played, but he can’t do everything by himself.

Hopefully Brown can build off of his recent start and provide some stability in the rotation for Houston.