Spencer Arrighetti departs with injury in second

Arrighetti lands on the injured list after departing Friday’s start against the White Sox following just 33 pitches over one inning with nerve irritation in his foot. The 26-year-old looked like a fixture in fantasy rotations for several weeks after returning from the injured list in mid-April, but his performance unraveled as the first half wore on. He surrendered six earned runs or more in three of his final four starts before the All-Star break, and now heads back to the shelf after another abbreviated outing. It’s unclear how much time he’s going to miss, but fantasy managers should brace for the possibility of an extended absence.

Maybe this will prove troublesome going forward, but it still sounds better than most of the alternatives. Arrighetti exited tonight while warming up for the second inning after a rough first that saw him give up three runs. Cristian Javier could step into the rotation if Arrighetti lands on the IL. The rehabbing Hayden Wesneski would also be an option.

Arrighetti gave up one hit, walked four and struck out six. His only run allowed came in the fourth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Dylan Beavers. Arrighetti has 87 strikeouts in 87 innings this year. His ERA is 4.34, though his xFIP is 4.84. Arrighetti’s problem continues to be that he walks too many batters. He’s lined up to face the White Sox on the road next weekend.

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.

Arrighetti walked six, struck out two, and allowed two homers in the ugly performance. It isn’t a surprise given it came on the road against one of the highest-scoring lineups in MLB, but he has scuffled badly lately. He now has an 8.74 ERA over his past seven starts. This was his final outing of the first half. The Astros host the Orioles coming out of the All-Star break.

This was the fourth time in Arrighetti’s last five starts where he wasn’t super curveball dependent. It was also just the fifth time in 14 starts this season where he threw more fastballs than curves. That usage pattern wasn’t consistent here though. After throwing it sparingly the first time around the order – and almost exclusively trying to land it in the zone early for strikes – he went to it more heavily the second time around and was more hunting for whiffs. It helped him be more efficient, but he missed fewer bats and was pulled after just 73 pitches before he had to see Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda for a third time. Funny enough, Caminero homered in the seventh off a reliever. Still, Arrighetti pitched well and left this outing with a 3.81 ERA, 79 strikeouts, and 38 walks through 78 innings this season. He’ll close out his first half with a start against the Nationals next week.

Yikes. Arrighetti did manage to punch out seven batters in the contest, but he was completely ineffective against left-handers and that was his undoing. He served up a two-run homer to Kerry Carpenter in the third inning, then a solo shot to Colt Keith and a three-run blast to James Outman in the fourth before he was mercifully pulled. It’s the third straight rough outing for Arrighetti who has seen his ERA spike from 2.21 to 4.00 during that stretch. He’ll try to turn things around when he takes on the Rays at home next Friday.

Arrighetti gave up six hits, walked none and struck out eight. He fell to 7-3 with the loss. Arrighetti was done in by the long ball as all six of the runs he allowed scored on the three home runs he allowed. The 26-year-old right-hander allowed a three-run home run to Travis Bazzana in the fifth inning, giving the Astros a 6-1 lead. Arrighetti’s ERA is now 3.13. He’s lined up to face the Tigers on the road next weekend.

Arrighetti managed to strike out seven in the defeat, and he’s now been tagged for 11 runs over his past three starts. He had begun this season by allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his first eight outings, so much of this is natural regression. He’ll carry a 2.57 ERA into a home start versus the Guardians next time out.

The runs all came in the second inning, when Arrighetti hit a batter and issued two of his four walks. It’s the sixth time in 10 starts this season that he’s walked four batters. He’s an incredible 7-1 with a 2.21 ERA anyway, but there isn’t much reason to think he’ll be a top starter going forward, given that he’s always been wild and that he’s just average in terms or recording strikeouts. He’ll face the Royals next.