AJ Blubaugh records two outs in Game 1 start

There was little doubt Blubaugh would pitch tomorrow, but it’s a little surprising to see him get the ball first, just because that never happened all year. He led the majors with 96 relief innings, finishing with a 3.66 ERA in his 64 appearances. He’s been used in shorter stints lately than he was early on, so the Astros would be pushing it if they asked for more than two innings from him. The only two times he completed three innings both took place in May.

Hunter Brown, the team’s ace, last pitched on September 25, so he would be on three days’ rest if he pitched on Tuesday. The Astros are likely going to have him start Game 2. Peter Lambert just pitched Sunday, and Hayden Wesneski threw seven innings Saturday. As a result, it will probably be AJ Blubaugh for bulk innings on Tuesday before the Astros can turn things over to their starting rotation.

Blubaugh struck out Jake Burger with two on to end the eighth and was left in to pitch the ninth since there was no save situation then. He retired the side in order for his first save in 42 appearances this year. The 26-year-old has a solid 3.62 ERA while often pitching two innings at a time as a middle reliever.

AJ Blubaugh followed him and pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run. That might open the door for him to start next time through the rotation. Or Bolton could get the call again. The Astros have Thursday off, so depending on how they want to play it, they won’t need a fifth starter again until May 12.

It’s a massive concern for Houston’s rotation, which lost ace Hunter Brown to a shoulder issue earlier this week. Javier left the contest with a trainer after attempting to warm up for his second inning of work after allowing one run on three hits in the opening frame. The 29-year-old righty will head for further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue. He’s in serious jeopardy of missing his next start, a rematch against the Rockies at home, on Tuesday. It would likely be AJ Blubaugh moving into the rotation in his absence with Spencer Arrighetti expected to come up and replace Brown already.

The Astros will transition to a six-man rotation around mid-April when they hit a stretch of 13 consecutive games without an off-day. Hunter Brown and Tatsuya Imai are the only locks right now with Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. figuring to break camp in the rotation as well. The battle for the sixth spot in the rotation involves a combination of Spencer Arrighetti, AJ Blubaugh and Peter Lambert. The other option is to bring up someone like Jason Alexander or Colton Gordon a couple weeks into the year.

The 25-year-old Blubaugh hasn’t gotten more than 10 outs in any of his last seven appearances, so the Astros weren’t going to let him go too long tonight. Maybe he could have snuck away with a win if he had been more efficient, but it wasn’t meant to be. Blubaugh finishes the season 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA and a 35/11 K/BB in 32 innings over the course of three starts and eight relief appearances. The Astros will probably want to hold him in reserve at the start of next season if they can avoid injuries next spring, but they have not had much luck in that department lately.

It’s a nice spot for streaming purposes in deeper mixed leagues as Blubaugh is coming off a pair of decent outings earlier this month where he struck out seven over three shutout frames in a spot start against the Rangers before twirling three shutout innings against the Mariners. The 25-year-old rookie holds a strong 1.93 ERA and 33/7 K/BB ratio across 28 innings over 10 appearances (two starts) this season at the highest level. It’s a must-win situation for the Astros if they want to stay alive in the AL playoff race.

Blubaugh made the spot start for the Astros on Tuesday and gave the team three scoreless innings, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters on 50 pitches. He ends the day with a 2.16 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a 32/7 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander will likely return to a multi-inning role out of the bullpen.

Lance McCullers Jr. and J.P. France are also options, but it sounds like Blubaugh’s fine showing after replacing the injured Garcia on Tuesday will get him the nod. He pitched 3 1/3 hitless innings that night against the Jays. Since Blubaugh has totaled 14, 20, 42 and 36 pitches in his last four outings, he’s probably a long shot to complete five innings and qualify for a win Sunday, making him a mediocre steaming option.