Hayden Wesneski Flashed Again Despite Houston Astros Losing to Kansas City Royals

The Houston Astros lost their series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

That put a stop to the momentum they had been building by winning three in a row and five out of their last six. But this stretch of play has gotten the Astros firmly back into the AL West race.

Hayden Wesneski was handed the loss, his second of the season.

But just looking at the result doesn't tell the whole story.

Since coming over from the Chicago Cubs as the third piece of the return package in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster, the right-handed pitcher has quietly put together a solid year thus far, and that was no different on Friday.

Wesneski allowed just two earned runs on eight hits, enough to earn him a loss since he was outdueled by Seth Lugo, but that outing put his ERA at 3.86 through five starts.

There were questions if he would be an effective player for the Astros.

He never was quite handed the keys to a starting role during his time with the Cubs despite being a high-profile prospect, and when Houston announced they were putting Wesneski into their rotation to start the season, there was some risk involved with that decision.

However, he has done nothing but impress so far.

"He has been really good for us. We have been really happy with his performance. Our pitching [instructors] have done a really good job with some ideas and he has been like a sponge in making himself a much better pitcher. There was some stuff we liked before the trade and he is doing some stuff now that we like even more. A really solid piece for us," manager Joe Espada said, per Robert Falkoff of MLB.com.

It will be interesting to see how Wesneski fits into the puzzle when the injured starters return.

Based on how he's played thus far, it would be hard to justify moving him out of the rotation in favor of Lance McCullers Jr. or Luis Garcia considering how long they have been on the shelf.