(SportsRadio 610) -- If the Astros get all of their guys healthy, they are going to have a gluttony of starting pitching.
Lance McCullers Jr. is on the injured list with right shoulder soreness, possibly until the middle of June.
Jake Odorizzi and left Framber Valdez just returned to the rotation over the weekend as they work back into shape.
Zack Greinke and Jose Urquidy are already established starters pitching well for the Astros, which brings us to Luis Garcia.
In Tuesday night's win over the Boston Red Sox, Garcia tossed a career-high seven innings and 106 total pitches. He allowed just one run on five hits, with six strikeouts and just one free pass. It was Garcia's second consecutive start with 100 more pitches.
Garcia's 2.60 ERA through his first 10 starts is the seventh lowest all-time among Astros pitchers in their first 10 career starts.
The body of work so far warrants a discussion about whether Garcia is currently, or on the verge of becoming one of the Astros' top five pitchers.
If so, who would be the odd man out? For now, it seems to be Garcia based on experience.
Manager Dusty Baker spoke Tuesday night about Garcia, who never pitched in Double A or Triple A, has shown he belongs in the big leagues. But it's too early to say exactly how he'll factor into Houston's future pitching plans, whether as a starter or long reliever.
Listen to Payne and Pendergast discuss it at the 13:51-mark.
