Spencer Arrighetti Breaks Cycle of Astros’ Pitching Struggles
Spencer Arrighetti made his 2026 season debut in Houston against the Colorado Rockies and secured his first MLB win of the year. Pitching has been the biggest obstacle for the Astros so far this season. After attempting to beef up the rotation during the offseason, things have not panned out the way they hoped.
Between Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Nate Pearson, and Josh Hader, all dealing with injuries, Houston’s pitching staff is seriously thinning out and becoming one of the team’s biggest weak spots. However, last night things took a turn. After pitching struggles game after game, Arrighetti stepped up to the mound and put an end to a night of pitching stress with his dominant performance.
It was the kind of outing Houston had been waiting to see from its rotation. Arrighetti kicked off his 2026 season with a strike on the first pitch, and that was just the beginning. He struck out three in the third inning, bringing his strikeout count for the game up to six.
He looked comfortable early and never let the Rockies settle in at the plate. He had a few hiccups, like hitting a batter and giving up a walk, but pulled it together quickly and threw what was possibly the last pitch of the inning, which came down to an ABS decision. Yainer Díaz challenged the pitch, claiming it was a strike, and won the challenge.
The call was overturned to a strike, and the inning was over. Arrighetti walked away from the mound after a strikeout with the bases loaded, a great way to end an inning for the Astros. After constant pitching struggles, Arrighetti’s standout performance was a glimpse of hope for the Astros pitching situation, and made for an entertaining outing instead of a painful one.