France Turning Into Astros' Hard-Luck Starter

Lately rookie starting pitcher J.P. France has been giving the Houston Astros exactly what they need — quality starts.

France’s 6.2 innings against Cincinnati on Friday represented his third straight quality start, as defined by going at least six innings and giving up three or fewer earned runs. France game up just two runs in Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Reds.

France is doing something an Astros rookie hasn’t done since 2005. Chris Sampson threw five straight quality starts as a rookie that season, en route to a 7-8 season.

France is now 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA in eight starts.

In fact, France has gone at least six innings in each of his last four starts. That fourth start — against Minnesota on May 29 — saw him give up four runs.

Quality start or not, France is giving the Astros what they need. He’s only given up more than four runs, earned or not, once since his call-up from Triple-A Sugar Land on May 6. That was the six runs he gave up to the Chicago Cubs on May 17.

Batters are hitting .230 against him. The strikeouts (38) to walks (16) is solid for a rookie. So is the 1.20 WHIP.

But he’s emerged as the Astros’ hard-luck starter. In his eight games the Astros have scored an average of 2.85 runs per game.

Most games, allowing two runs puts you in a position to win. That wasn’t the case on Friday. France told reporters that’s just something he has to accept. After all, he can’t hit.

“It is what it is,” France said. “As a pitcher, you can’t control any of that. You’ve just got to go out there and do your job and give your team a chance to win and hopefully get five, six, seven, eight innings. Sometimes I’ll have the boys’ back, sometimes the boys will have my back. That’s how it works.”