LAST-MINUTES ASTROS TRADE DEADLINE UPDATE: Astros Are Very Close to Acquiring MLB Top Outstanding Pitcher After Taking Set From Dodgers

Houston — With the Astros still in talks with other teams to try to acquire a starting pitcher before Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti made his case to stay in the rotation by pitching a quality start Sunday afternoon against the Dodgers, only to be outdueled by fellow rookie River Ryan.

Arrighetti allowed three runs on four hits in six innings in the Astros’ 6-2 loss to the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park, halting Houston’s three-game winning streak and putting the team in a virtual tie with the Mariners atop the American League West. Ryan restricted Houston to one run over 5 2/3 innings in his second career start.

Arrighetti retired 13 of the first 15 Dodgers he faced, including Shohei Ohtani twice, before allowing home runs to James Outman in the fifth and Gavin Lux in the sixth. He finished 4-9 with a 5.58 ERA in his first 19 Major League starts, and the Astros were 0-5 in Arrighetti’s five July starts.

“Obviously, a full stadium on a Sunday against the Dodgers, I was going to be a little bit fired up, but I was glad [the fastball] was coming out well,” said Arrighetti, who struck out his 100th career batter in the second. “Taking two out of three from them was huge.”

Houston will send another rookie, right-hander Jake Bloss (6.94 ERA in his first three starts), to the mound in Monday’s series opener against the Pirates. He’ll face rookie sensation Paul Skenes, who has a 6-1 record and a 1.93 ERA in 12 starts. According to Elias, this is the sixth battle between starting pitchers drafted the previous year, and the first since Mark Prior and Kirk Saarloos in 2002.

“I’m just going to worry about Bloss,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I think he worked extremely hard to prepare for his upcoming start. We expect him to go out there and deliver a great performance for us, giving us a chance to win.”
There is little likelihood that the Astros will acquire at least one starting pitcher, and Houston general manager Dana Brown stated Friday that he would prefer to add two starters, which might jeopardize Arrighetti and Bloss’ rotation slots.

According to a source, two of the Astros’ most talked-about starters are Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, both of whom will be free agents after this season.

Flaherty has rebounded in ’24, finishing 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA for Detroit following a poor season that included a Deadline trade to Baltimore the year before. Flaherty is owed approximately $4.6 million for the rest of the season, after which he will become a free agent.

Kikuchi may be the most popular rental starter this week. The 33-year-old isn’t enjoying a terrific season, but he strikes out a lot of batters (130 in 115 2/3 innings) and walks few (30), which is an enticing mix heading into the stretch run. Kikuchi is owed approximately $3.3 million for the remainder of the season before becoming a free agency.

“Starting pitching is unquestionably a priority,” Brown said Friday. “We have [six] starters on the IL, so we need to go acquire another starting. We’d like to hire a bullpen person. That would be really beneficial given how frequently our core bullpen players have pitched. Giving these guys a rest from time to time can be beneficial. If a bat appears that makes sense, we will pursue it. We’re working on those three lanes of players.”

Astros starters Justin Verlander, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, and Lance McCullers Jr. are all on the injured list, with Javier, Urquidy, and maybe McCullers out for the season. J.P. France, who started the season in the rotation, was injured at Triple-A and underwent season-ending surgery. Verlander and Garcia will take on batters on the mound Tuesday in Houston.

The Astros would prefer to go to a six-man rotation to alleviate some of the workload on Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, and Arrighetti, who are approaching career highs in innings pitched. Arrighetti has a 3.91 ERA in his previous four starts, including three consecutive six-inning outings.

Arrighetti has shown the potential that made him the club’s top pitching prospect entering the season, but while his future seems promising, the Astros would prefer to add some seasoned depth for the stretch push.