Pomeranz (1-3) allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Astros.
While the bar hasn't been set very high, this was a relatively good outing for Pomeranz and the deepest he has pitched into the game in his past five starts. The big blow came on a two-run home run by Carlos Correa in the first inning, with the other two runs coming largely on a series of balls in play that did not leave the infield. While he did not struggle to this degree last season, Pomeranz did start sluggishly before posting a 3.01 ERA in the second half of the season. That said, there is hope that he can improve as the season wears on and this start was a small step in that direction. His next start comes Wednesday against the Tigers.