Peter Lambert strikes out six in loss vs. D-backs

Lambert gave up three hits, walked five and struck out six. It was a bit of a mixed bag for Lambert, who had a 6.12 ERA in five August starts entering play Monday. His five walks were the most he’s issued in a game all year. Lambert’s ERA is 3.66. He’s lined up to face the Diamondbacks at home this weekend.

Yikes. Lambert also issued a pair of walks while striking out three batters in the ballgame. The Halos got to him early and often in this one, striking for one in the first, three in the second, and five more while chasing him in the fourth — all without the benefit of a home run. Lambert got nine whiffs on 79 pitches in the forgettable outing, posting a CSW of only 24 percent. This wipes away a lot of the good work that he had done this season, as Lambert now sports a 3.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 120/48 K/BB ratio over 122 1/3 innings through his first 22 starts. He’ll try to turn the page as he does battle against the Yankees in New York on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should probably want to sit that one out after this miserable performance.

Lambert gave up five hits, walked three and struck out three. He fell to 8-6 with the loss. The Padres scored individual runs against Lambert in the first, third and fourth innings. He allowed an RBI force out to Jackson Merrill in the first inning before giving up a solo home run to Merrill in the third inning. In the fourth inning, a rare error by the typically sure-handed shortstop Jeremy Pena led to an unearned run. Lambert has a 3.09 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Mariners at home next weekend.

Both runs came in the fifth, which started with a walk and three singles. Fortunately for Lambert, Evan Carter was thrown out trying to take second after a throw to the plate on the second single. Elias Díaz then grounded into a double play after the third hit, preventing what could have been a big inning. Lambert has allowed two runs or fewer in six straight starts and 11 of his last 12, but he’s remained stuck on eight wins since July 11, having received no-decisions in four straight starts. He’ll take a 3.06 ERA into his next start versus the Padres.

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.