4 years agoHouston Astros pitcher Kent Emanuel pitched nearly a complete game in relief on Saturday, earning his first career win in a blowout 16-2 victory over the Angels. After starter Jake Odorizzi exited with one out in the first inning, Emanuel tossed 8 2/3 innings in his major league debut, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. The two runs he allowed came on homers by Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani, but he otherwise cruised his way through the Angels lineup. He's never been a high strikeout pitcher in the minors, posting a career 18.3 percent strikeout rate, but it was definitely a solid debut performance for the 28-year-old rookie. If Odorizzi misses significant time, Emanuel would likely be considered to replace him in the rotation. Nothing is set in stone yet, but potentially if he joins the rotation he could be in line for a start against a Seattle Mariners squad that has the seventh-highest strikeout rate in the majors at 26.4 percent.--Michael Grennell - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com