Monday’s 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox had the Houston Astros feeling like it was the good old days.
Jose Altuve reached base five times with four hits, two home runs, and a walk.
Yordan Alvarez hit an absolute moonshot, and
Carlos Correa was looking like his Gold Glove self. After a shaky opening series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Astros started off the series against the Red Sox with a bang.
What stood out the most was the long-awaited return to form from starting pitcher
Lance McCullers Jr.
‘Bury Me in the H’ is back
McCullers has been a key piece of the Astros’ DNA since the 2017 World Series run. He has been one of the ultimate ‘glue guys’ like Altuve and Correa during the Astros extended run. However, he missed the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons with injuries. After recovering from flexor tendon surgery, he faced a shaky 2025 when he finally returned.
McCullers had a 2-4 win-loss record, starting 13 of 16 games, and posted a 6.51 ERA in 2025. This sparked debates about whether it was time for the Astros to move on from him. Injuries were catching up to McCullers, and decisions had to be made. The team decided to keep him going into the 2026 spring training period, and he repaid their faith.
In a vintage performance against the Red Sox, McCullers went 7 innings, the most by an Astros starter thus far. He punched out nine batters and gave up just one run on four hits, posting a 1.29 ERA. He was generating swings and misses like it was the 2017 World Series. It became a performance that was vital to the early season.
Every other starter struggled in their first starts. For McCullers to come in as the 5th starter and slam the door while also getting run support was paramount to the early slate.
Lance McCullers Is Anchoring the Bottom of the Rotation
The Astros struggled with the bottom of the rotation last season. McCullers’ health and injury history brought many questions and doubts into this season. Those questions and doubts, for now, have been answered. With the burden of expectations more on ace Hunter Brown and newcomer Tatsuya Imai. The end of the rotation will allow McCullers to thrive and play his game.
It was evident in his performance vs the rest of the starters.
McCullers had nine strikeouts, tying with Brown for the most to start the season. He posted a 1.29 ERA, better than every starter but Brown (0.00 in 4.2 innings). The other three posted a 7.94 (
Mike Burrows in 5.2 innings), 11.57 (
Cristian Javier in 4.2 innings), and 13.5 (Imai in 2.2 innings). McCullers has also gone the furthest for a starting pitcher thus far with his seven innings.
Being able to be the steady hand for the back end of the rotation will provide the Astros with critical support, as their veteran can come in and presumably not be a potential liability.
While it is unrealistic to expect this level of performance every outing, McCullers absolutely proved he is the perfect man to anchor the Astros’ starting rotation.
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