Astros manager reveals another bump in the road for starting rotation

DONE FOR THE SEASON

Astros Joe Espada
Lance McCullers Jr. is not expected to pitch in 2024. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. won’t pitch this season, manager Joe Espada said Sunday.

McCullers hasn’t pitched since he took the loss in Game 3 of the 2022 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Astros won the series in six games.

The 30-year-old had right forearm surgery in June 2023. He had been working his way back and threw a bullpen session in June but was shut down shortly after.

“Where he’s at right now, I think it’s safe to say I don’t think he’ll pitch this season,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “It’d be almost too much to ask for him to ramp up and get him back this season.”

McCullers is 49-32 with a 3.48 ERA in seven seasons, all with Houston.

Most Popular

It doesn't sound like OC Bobby Slowik is going anywhere. Composite Getty Image.

One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”

Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.

This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.

To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.

Number crunching

When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.

Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.

Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.

The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.

If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.

Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM