Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports
Remember all that clutch hitting the Houston Astros had in the series opener against the Oakland Athletics? Yeah, they had none of that in game two. In fact, they had very little hitting in general.
And who else would be pitching at a time when runs were at a premium than the unfortunate Jarred Cosart, who has yet to give up more than two runs in a start?
Some pitchers just don’t get run support. Cincinnati Reds‘ Mat Latos averages 5.13 runs in his support per start. Those same Reds only produce just over three runs a game for Homer Bailey. It’s one of those things in baseball that has no rhyme or reason, and yet it can’t be solely based on coincidence.
While Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell received over 3.5 runs of support on average, Cosart has averaged only 1.5. Five out of his first six starts have been quality starts, and the one that wasn’t was just because he only went 5.0, innings but still only gave up two runs.
And still he has only one win, thanks to a combination of a laughable bullpen and lack of good hitting. Hopefully he can keep doing what he’s done for the next few years while the Astros try sort out their woes.
There’s no doubting Cosart’s ability, so in all likelihood, there is nothing to worry about. The only concern is whether this is starting to take a toll on his confidence.
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