WASHINGTON - In perhaps his final start before the All-Star break, a trying season for Mike Burrows hit a low point. The Houston Astros staked the right-hander to a five-run lead in the third inning Monday night at Nationals Park. They trailed by the time he departed in the fifth. His 17th start with the Astros was also his shortest. None of the previous 16 produced a more lopsided line.
"It was just a tough day," Burrows said, after the Astros' 12-11 loss to Washington. "Just felt like I let our team down. They gave me a good lead and kind of spoiled it. Some of the hits felt like they were in bad spots, where our guys weren't, and then there were a couple pitches that just missed, missed by a little bit, and I got beat. So just a tough one."
In the first half, those outweighed the alternative for Burrows. Flashes of the starter Houston envisioned fortifying its rotation upon trading for him have subsided into struggles, none more glaring than his start against the Nationals. Roughed up for 10 runs, seven of them earned, Burrows saw his ERA jump to 5.99, the second-highest mark among qualified major-league starters.
Whether a club attempting to claw its way back to .500 can sustain that type of production in its rotation every five or six days seems a legitimate question. A collective effort between Burrows and the Astros to bring about better results is ongoing yet has eluded any semblance of consistency, inviting wonder about where the collaboration can turn to next.
"He's still a young pitcher, so we've got to continue to help him through this process," manager Joe Espada said. "Because he's got the stuff to do it, there's no doubt."
"It was just a tough day," Burrows said, after the Astros' 12-11 loss to Washington. "Just felt like I let our team down. They gave me a good lead and kind of spoiled it. Some of the hits felt like they were in bad spots, where our guys weren't, and then there were a couple pitches that just missed, missed by a little bit, and I got beat. So just a tough one."
In the first half, those outweighed the alternative for Burrows. Flashes of the starter Houston envisioned fortifying its rotation upon trading for him have subsided into struggles, none more glaring than his start against the Nationals. Roughed up for 10 runs, seven of them earned, Burrows saw his ERA jump to 5.99, the second-highest mark among qualified major-league starters.
Whether a club attempting to claw its way back to .500 can sustain that type of production in its rotation every five or six days seems a legitimate question. A collective effort between Burrows and the Astros to bring about better results is ongoing yet has eluded any semblance of consistency, inviting wonder about where the collaboration can turn to next.
"He's still a young pitcher, so we've got to continue to help him through this process," manager Joe Espada said. "Because he's got the stuff to do it, there's no doubt."
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