As we begin the month of September, you can't find a pitching staff hotter than the Houston Astros.

Over the last thirty days, the 'Stros have recorded an MLB-best 2.54 ERA and have climbed to 5th overall for the entirety of the season.

How they're getting it done is also a big part of the story. Framber Valdez and Spencer Arrighetti have both flirted with no-hitters recently, and Hunter Brown and Yusei Kikuchi have also been brilliant.

Astros GM Dana Brown recently revealed that Ronel Blanco will move to the bullpen, as the team goes back to a 5-man rotation in the coming days.

One element of the Astros rotation, however, is a bit of a wild card. Can the Astros count on Justin Verlander to deliver in the playoffs?

Before we get to the playoffs, we have to see how he pitches down the stretch. His three starts since returning from injury have delivered mixed results.

He still has time to regain his Hall of Fame form over the month of September, but the clock is ticking. Some Astros fans have already counted Verlander out, believing he's not one of the best four starters on the roster.

There's a narrative about Verlander that many repeat, even though it's not factually accurate. The argument that Verlander isn't good in the playoffs just isn't true.

He's struggled in the World Series, but has pitched very well in the ALDS and ALCS over the years. JV has pitched 226 innings in the playoffs over the course of his career, with an ERA of 3.58.

Just last year, at 40 years old, he pitched in three postseason games. He had two good starts and one poor one. Hopefully, all the starters pitch well down the stretch and give Joe Espada a good problem to deal with.

Astros front office

Houston GM Dana Brown has certainly faced his share of criticism this season, but overall, it's hard not to be impressed with the results entering the last month of the regular season.

He helped navigate an injury ravaged pitching staff through the storm, and come out on the other side as one of the best rotations in baseball.

Not to mention, he was able to convince Jim Crane to move on from Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero. Which couldn't have been easy with Jeff Bagwell in the mix.

Plus, Brown added Kikuchi to the Astros depleted rotation at the trade deadline, which he received a lot of criticism for. It's hard to imagine the Astros having a 6-game lead over Seattle right now without the Kikuchi trade.

Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the Astros playoff rotation, reflect on the job Dana Brown has done as GM in 2024, and much more!

Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.