Peter Lambert strikes out eight against Rangers

That would have been Tatsuya Imai’s start, but he’s slated to work in relief for now. It was then thought Cristian Javier would start Sunday, but the Astros are pushing back that call for a day. Javier still seems likely to get the ball, but maybe the Astros will acquire another option before then.

Lambert stranded three baserunners through the first two innings before the Angels brought a run in on a walk and two hits in the third. Another two hits in the fifth brought a second run in against Lambert. His day would be done after five innings at 90 pitches. He struck out six. The 29-year-old right-hander has had an excellent season with the Astros, posting a 3.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 100/39 K/BB ratio across 103 innings. He’ll take on the Blue Jays in Houston on Monday.

Lambert is on a roll. This was his third straight quality start and he lowered his ERA down to 3.03 in the process. Admittedly, he didn’t have his best stuff here. The Marlins scorched 10 hard-hit balls against him and he was fortunate to hold them to just two runs. Still, he threw tons of strikes and his defense made plays behind him. He’s become a highly reliable starting pitcher and is scheduled to face the Angels next time out.

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 gave up three hits, walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 8-5 with the win. Lambert has won six of his last seven decision. He was excellent against the Rangers on Saturday, lowering his ERA to 3.14 heading into the All-Star break.

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.