The Houston Astros‘ pitching crisis got worse Sunday when starter Cody Bolton left the mound in the second inning of a game in Seattle against the Mariners with an apparent injury. Bolton now joins new free-agent acquisition Tatsuya Imai, 2025 Cy Young candidate Hunter Brown, and 7-year veteran Cristian Javier on the list of injured Astros starting pitchers.
The crisis has left manager Joe Espada scrambling, especially with Astros pitchers struggling on the mound as well as with the injury bug.
âWeâre having a tough time as a unit throwing strikes,â Espada said Friday, after Javier landed on the 15-day injured list and Imai was sent back to Houston with “fatigue” in his pitching arm. âWeâre working trying to make our adjustments, but it takes a toll on our staff.â
The Astros announced Bolton’s injury as “mid-back tightness,” according to Adam Wexler of Houston’s SportsTalk Radio 790.
Bolton’s apparent injury was reported by MLB.com Astros correspondent Brian McTaggart.
“Unbelievable. Astros starting pitcher Cody Bolton is leaving this game in the second inning after a mound visit from a trainer. The Astros have already sent three starting pitchers home with injuries on this trip,” McTaggart wrote.
What the Astros pitching struggles mean for the team’s hitters is also quickly becoming clear.
Astros Pitching Has Let the Offense Down
Bolton came into the game with a respectable 3.71 ERA in one previous start and one relief appearance. But it was clear something was wrong as the 27-year-old right-hander seemed lost from the beginning of Sunday’s game. He hit the first batter he faced, Brendan Donovan, but after quickly retiring Cal Raleigh and Julio RodrÃguez, Bolton gave up a walk and a hit, followed by a Randy Arozarena RBI single before getting out of the inning.
Bolton then came out in the second inning and walked the first three batters before leaving due to the back injury.
But Bolton’s struggles were typical of Astros pitchers in the early going of the 2026 MLB season. As USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale noted on Sunday, “The Houston Astros went 0-6 last week despite scoring six or more runs in four of the games. They gave up eight or more runs in five of the losses.”
Javier was carrying a 12.54 ERA in three starts before hitting the IL, and Imai, who came over from Japan’s Seibu Lions on a three-year, $54 million contract, had allowed seven earned runs in 8 2/3 innings so far for a 7.27 ERA across his first three starts.
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