Peter Lambert strikes out seven in win Saturday

Lambert leaned on his fastball for a dominant start here. He located it well at the letters all night and the Orioles hitters couldn’t help but swing under it. In all, it forced nine of his 14 total swings-and-misses and seven called strikes as well. That helped the pitch turn in an elite 77% strike rate. From there, he mixed his bevy of secondaries to keep the Orioles. His three walks were a blemish on his ledger and came in three consecutive plate appearances which forced home the only run he allowed. He’s become a breakout star this season with a 3.03 ERA, 91 strikeouts, and 36 walks through 92 innings as a steadying force in the Astros’ otherwise chaotic rotation. He’s scheduled to face the Marlins at home next time out.

The 29-year-old right-hander had a terrific first half for the Astros, compiling a 3.14 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and an 81/33 K/BB ratio across 86 innings through his first 15 starts. At this stage, he should be considered a viable weekly option in all mixed leagues. Spencer Arrighetti will follow him on Saturday with Hunter Brown getting the ball in Sunday’s series finale in Houston.

Lambert threw 60-of-90 pitches for strikes, and he struck out six against one walk while allowing just three hits. The right-hander scuffled a bit in his previous outing against the Twins, but for the most part, he’s been a solid — and surprising — helper for the Houston rotation as seen in his 7-5 record and 3.26 ERA. He’ll make his final start before the All-Star break against the Rangers on the road.

Lambert gave up five hits, walked three and struck out four. He fell to 6-5 with the loss. All four of the runs Lambert allowed came on home runs. Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini hit solo shots in the fourth inning before Josh Bell hit a two-run shot in the sixth inning. Lambert has a 3.51 ERA, but can struggle at times given the amount of fastballs he throws. He’s lined up to face the Nationals on the road next week.

Lambert allowed two runs on a Daulton Varsho double and a Luis Urías homer in the fourth. In the fifth, he retired two out of three batters, but the Astros wouldn’t let him face Varsho again. Varsho doubled off Steven Okert anyway, but it didn’t score the runner from first and Urías then struck out. As it turned out, Lambert probably wouldn’t have gotten the win even if he had finished the fifth, as the Jays came back to tie things up off Enyel De Los Santos in the seventh and took the lead in the eighth. It’s just the second time this season that Lambert hasn’t completed five innings, and he’s still 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA in his last six starts. He’s in line to make his next start Sunday in Detroit, but he could be pushed back to Monday against the Twins if Cristian Javier is activated.

Lambert only gave up two hits on the afternoon, lowering his ERA to 3.23. The righty has been sensational for the Astros as he’s one of two pitchers to make more than three starts for them with an ERA under 5.75. The other is Spencer Arrighetti. Lambert’s ERA estimators suggest he has pitched a bit over his head so far, but he’ll remain in strong fantasy consideration next time out in Toronto.

Lambert left in the seventh after taking a comebacker off his pitching wrist, but he said afterwards that he was fine. The only runs he allowed tonight came on homers off the bat of Mike Trout and Logan O’Hoppe. It went as his first no decision after he opened the year 5-4 with a 3.55 ERA in nine starts. That he’s been so tough to homer against has been the biggest key to his nice run, but two tonight brings his total to five homers allowed in 57 innings, and he should be pretty average there going forward. He’ll face the Tigers next week.

Lambert stranded the bases loaded in the second and kept the A’s scoreless until the sixth, when he gave up a Brent Rooker homer, a walk and then a double with one out. Enyel De Los Santos entered and retired Zack Gelof and Jeff McNeil to strand both inherited runners. It went as Lambert’s third straight win, even though he’s walked 11 over 15 1/3 innings during the span. He’s 5-4 with a 3.55 ERA in nine starts overall. The big thing that he has in his corner is that he’s allowed just three homers in 50 2/3 innings, but he’s not a strong groundball pitcher and his walk rate is an increasing concern. Those relying on him in mixed leagues can feel free to use him against the Angels next week, but it’s still not rather likely that he’ll be a long-term solution.

Lambert allowed five hits, walked three and struck out three with his velocity down a tad today. He has a 5.63 ERA and a 14/9 K/BB over 16 innings in his last three starts, though he’s won two of those anyway. He’s still securely in Houston’s rotation, and he’ll likely make his next start Friday at home against the A’s.

Lambert allowed five hits, walked four and struck out five in an erratic outing. He also hit a batter. This makes him 3-4 with a 3.79 ERA through seven starts. That he’s allowed only one homer in 40 1/3 innings has made him a viable fantasy starter to date, but his luck figures to change some there. He’s due to pitch at home against the Brewers next weekend.