Cristian Javier and Cam Smith may be ‘starting to get hot at the right time’ for Houston Astros

PHILADELPHIA – Progress in a demanding sport is not always linear. Four years ago, Cristian Javier found the pinnacle of a breakout season on the same mound he climbed Thursday. Throwing the first six innings of a combined World Series no-hitter seemed to cement his arrival with a pitching-rich franchise.

An eight-figure extension soon followed. But then came struggle, and elbow surgery, and evasive results upon his return, the latter suggesting an ongoing need to evolve. Few starters can thrive on the formula Javier once employed, never more extremely than on a November night in Philadelphia in 2022.

“I remember in the World Series he threw like 95 pitches, and we used like 72 fastballs,” Astros catcher Christian Vázquez said. “That fastball was electric that day.”

Vázquez, recalling the outing Thursday, was nearly pinpoint. Javier totaled 97 pitches in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series against the Phillies. Seventy of them, or 72%, were four-seam fastballs. Another 25 were sweepers. Those two pitches comprised 87% of the right-hander’s usage that season.

TRIPLE CROWN TRACKER:Yordan Alvarez and the race for AL’s Triple Crown

“I feel like I’m a very different pitcher” now, Javier said, through an interpreter. “Before, I only had two pitches. And now I feel like I have more pitches that I can throw and execute and attack hitters with.”

Results had not lent resounding support. Javier, in the penultimate year of a $64 million deal and his first full season back from surgery, was expected to reinforce this Astros rotation. He entered Thursday with a 5.98 ERA in 49⅔ innings this season between a shoulder injury and a detour to the bullpen.

But the rotation is still in need, and Javier’s last start against Arizona was promising, so he drew another Thursday. Two days before, on the team bus to Citizens Bank Park, Vázquez had brought up his outing in the second-ever World Series no-hitter, Javier acknowledged: “So I was thinking about it.”

Echoes of it were undeniable. Javier worked with the same catcher Thursday, Vázquez, who had caught Game 4 in 2022. He faced a Phillies lineup featuring five of the same hitters. He wore the same uniform combination of orange jersey, gray pants, dark blue long sleeves and socks.

2,500:Jose Altuve’s milestone and quest for 3,000 hits

Amid them, Javier perhaps offered a glimpse of progress from where he has been. During his six innings in a 2-1 Astros win, the right-hander conjured memories for his manager and catcher of that start, while doing it in a different way.

By the time Javier finished his fourth inning, still yet to allow a hit, Houston manager Joe Espada said: “I started thinking about it.” Luis Arraez dashed any idea of a repeat with a leadoff single in the fifth. Javier allowed two more hits across six innings of one-run ball against a potent offense.

“He was very good,” said Vázquez. “I think the changeup was amazing today. We used a lot of changeups to everybody … His fastball after the changeup worked a lot.”

ASTROS 2, PHILLIES 1

HoustonABRHBIBBSOAvg.Totals33282310Peña ss401002.271Alvarez dh300013.310Paredes 3b401001.260Altuve 2b402000.246Allen 2b000000.275Varsho cf400001.228Walker 1b411000.228Smith rf312111.219Trammell lf301110.208Vázquez c200000.210a-Diaz ph-c200002.268PhiladelphiaABRHBIBBSOAvg.Totals2813119Schwarber dh300012.241Turner ss400001.241Harper rf300000.269Arraez 2b311000.318Bohm 1b301000.246Stott 3b300101.249Marsh lf300002.267Hill lf000000.246Crawford cf301001.264Marchán c200001.100b-Sosa ph100001.238Houston010000001_280Philadelphia000010000_131

a-struck out for Vázquez in the 7th. b-struck out for Marchán in the 9th.

E_Turner (21). LOB_Houston 7, Philadelphia 1. 2B_Trammell (10), Altuve (22), Bohm (27). HR_Smith (20), off Duran. RBIs_Trammell (21), Smith (54), Stott (62).

Runners left in scoring position_Houston 5 (Vázquez, Varsho 2, Diaz 2); Philadelphia 1 (Turner). RISP_Houston 0 for 5; Philadelphia 0 for 3.

Runners moved up_Varsho, Walker. LIDP_Paredes. GIDP_Trammell, Marsh, Harper.

DP_Houston 2 (Walker, Peña, Walker; Peña, Walker, Peña, Walker); Philadelphia 2 (Bohm, Turner, Bohm; Turner, Arraez, Turner).

HoustonIPHRERBBSONPERAJavier631115795.50Sousa100000145.55Abreu, W, 6-3100003103.57Hader, S, 25-2510000180.87PhiladelphiaIPHRERBBSONPERAWheeler7511291103.14Alvarado120010185.30Duran, L, 2-6111101171.82

IBB_off Alvarado (Alvarez). PB_Vázquez (5).

ABS Challenge_Smith (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Javier (Ball-Overturned to Strike); Varsho (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Smith (Strike-Confirmed); Altuve (Strike-Confirmed); Turner (Strike-Confirmed).

Pitch timer violations_Alvarado (pitcher).

Umpires_Home, Jeremie Rehak; First, Adam Beck; Second, Dan Iassogna; Third, Brock Ballou.

T_2:30. A_37,100 (42,901).

Javier threw his changeup 4.1% of the time in 2022 and not once in his World Series outing. It became a larger part of his arsenal in 2024, prior to surgery. He introduced a cutter earlier this season, a new pitch he has thrown with a high in-zone rate. Reliever Bryan Abreu also added one amid his recent rebound.

Thursday, Javier threw his four-seamer 39% of the time. He threw 21 changeups on 79 pitches; seven put in play averaged an 83.9 mph exit velocity and all went for outs. He mixed in 16 sweepers and 11 cutters. Phillies hitters chased at a 46% clip against him and whiffed on 14 of 44 swings, or 32 percent.

“He’s got all his pitches working,” Espada said. “He knows where to go against lefties, he knows where to go against righties. The level of confidence in between innings when he’s downstairs and he’s talking, the tone is different. He’s really believing and the stuff right now is working well for him.”

In his last two starts, both against NL contenders, Javier has allowed two runs and four hits in 11 innings. The idea of harnessing this version of him amid a playoff push is tantalizing for the Astros, even if little in Javier’s last two seasons invites it.

Along with Hunter Brown, the Astros are leaning heavily on Hayden Wesneski in his return from surgery and have taxed Peter Lambert. Before Thursday, they seemed reticent to let Javier work deep into starts and face lineups for a third time. That made his sixth inning notable.

An infield hit and a passed ball put the potential go-ahead run on second base in a 1-1 game. Espada let Javier face Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, the majors’ home run leader, and Trea Turner each for a third time. Schwarber struck out swinging on a fastball, Turner on a changeup.

It punctuated a promising day for Javier. He departed a game that remained tied until the ninth inning, when Cam Smith stepped in to face Phillies closer Jhoan Duran.

It has been a trying sophomore season for Smith, the 23-year-old right fielder anointed a future “aircraft carrier” before his debut by a general manager no longer in that role. Smith awoke Thursday with a .216 batting average and a .683 OPS, stats outweighing strides indicated by some of his underlying metrics.

Smith posted a .504 OPS in July, when he was held out of the starting lineup for a series to work on his swing. He followed with a .785 OPS in August but on its final day said: “I really haven’t done much and haven’t produced at all,” inviting wonder of whether an up-and-down season may be weighing on him.

“I’m not concerned about that,” Espada said Thursday, “because he’s very mature for his age and knows how to handle himself.”

Three games in an atmosphere Smith said felt like “playoffs” showcased a young player who may still be growing into immense potential. Tuesday, Smith hit a home run, made a key sliding catch and ran through a stop sign at third base, albeit scoring on the play. Wednesday, Smith homered off reigning NL Cy Young runner-up Cristopher Sánchez and made an ill-advised throw to home plate that set up a Phillies run.

On Thursday, Smith struck out, singled and walked in three matchups with Zack Wheeler, the Phillies workhorse who spun seven innings of one-run ball. He stood on deck as Duran started the ninth. The Astros bench included LaMonte Wade Jr., the left-handed hitter who has pinch-hit for Smith at times against righties but is not a comparable defender. Smith took the at-bat.

He had faced Duran once, last June in Houston. Duran had started him with a splitter. Smith bounced it up the middle for a walk-off single but recalled Thursday that he “got a little long” with that swing: “So this time, I was just telling myself to stay short.” Duran again started him with a splitter, at 98.5 mph but hovering over the plate. Smith hit it 421 feet into the seats in left-center.

“I think he’s showing the power that he has, and it was amazing, (off) a great pitcher,” Vázquez said.

Duran had allowed one home run in 55 appearances this year and none to a right-handed hitter on his splitter since 2024, per Baseball Savant. Home runs in three straight games put Smith at 20 this season. He is the sixth Astros player to record a 20-homer season at age 23 or younger. Carlos Correa and César Cedeño each had three such seasons. Yordan Alvarez, Matt Dominguez and Jim Wynn all had one.

“I guess I’m still trying to find my way,” Smith said of his second MLB season. “I can’t really explain the journey I’ve been on. But I get an opportunity to play here every single day, so thanks to the front office and Joe for putting me in the lineup as much as they do.”

Lack of other options must be acknowledged. The Astros had received a .669 OPS from their outfielders entering Thursday, second-lowest in the majors. Two other right-handed hitting outfielders on their active roster, Nelson Velázquez and Jorge Barrosa, were both recent waiver claims. Smith’s defense in right field also remains elite, regardless of his offensive production.

Still, the Astros are seeking the latter. They did total 15 runs across three games against the Phillies but before that had the fifth-fewest in baseball since the trade deadline. Smith went 4-for-10 in the series, drove in four runs and scored five, displaying the impact he could have for a club that ended Thursday with a three-game AL West lead. Consistency is a question, but there are different paths to progress.

“He’s tough mentally,” Espada said. “And he’s starting to get hot at the right time.”

Subscribe

There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.

This article originally published at Cristian Javier and Cam Smith may be ‘starting to get hot at the right time’ for Houston Astros.

Advertisement