Astros Waste Cristian Javier’s Strong Start, Bullpen Meltdowns Late in 7-1 Loss to Yankees

For Cristian Javier, it felt sort of imperative that he had a strong start to his 2024 season. Or at least provide indications that his struggles from last season remain firmly in the past. If his start against the Yankees on Friday is any guide, then we can at least count that as progress as he held his opponents to four hits and a walk across six innings, striking out six and looking incredibly efficient while he did it. It was arguably the best Javier had looked on the mound in nearly a year before the wheels fell off last year.

Interestingly enough, Javier did something a little bit different in this start: He changed up his pitch mix, pun intended. Known primarily for his four-seam and slider combination, Javier has never been able to add a consistent third pitch to his arsenal. Sure, he’d occasionally throw a curveball or changeup in the past, but those offerings were used sparingly. The combined usage rate would stay around 10%, give or take a percentage point or two in a season. Ultimately, against the Yankees in his first start of the season, Javier relied noticeably more on his changeup, throwing it 28% of the time compared to 36% for his four-seam and 31% for his slider. This reliable third pitch helped keep New York off balance during the first six innings.

We already knew from Spring Training that Javier intended to incorporate that pitch into his arsenal more, however, it was left to be seen if it would become a mainstay. With only one start on the season, it remains too early to state something definitively. But it is something to watch moving forward. It was long speculated that Javier lacked a reliable third pitch to help round out his arsenal. Perhaps that has finally changed.

In other news, the lineup was lackluster, to say the least. Other than Alex Bregman’s solo home run in the first inning, the Astros were held scoreless for the remaining eight innings. It was a close game throughout the first seven innings with the Yankees unable to solve Javier and Yankees’ starter Carlos Rodón navigating around three walks and five hits, with the only run allowed coming from Bregman’s dinger.

The difference in Game 2 of the season lies in how the bullpens fared. Tayler Scott and Rafael Montero couldn’t maintain a 1-0 lead, coughing up two runs in self-destructing fashion. For New York, their bullpen did its job, holding its 2-1 lead in the seventh inning despite Houston threatening to tie the game. Thanks in part to ill-timed errors by Jeremy Peña and Parker Mushinski in the eighth inning, the Yankees blew the game open, pushing its lead to five runs before adding another run in the ninth inning to reach the final score.

Ultimately, the Astros looked flat for most of the game other than Javier. The lineup was quiet again with the lack of depth in the bullpen becoming an issue. It doesn’t help not having Bryan Abreu for the first two games due to his suspension, but the bullpen still has a depth problem. Hopefully, Hunter Brown can help turn things around for Game 3 of the season, and let’s also see if the lineup decides to join the party.