When the Astros were bad a month or two ago, they could at least rely on one or two pitchers for quality starts despite the deficiencies in the batting lineup.
At one point, the Astros' rotation was so solid, they decided to expand it to six men in light of Dallas Keuchel's impressive run with Bud Norris out for a couple of weeks. But those days have quickly faded.
Wandy's trade value took another hit in Houston's 8-4 loss to the Padres on Wednesday, when he gave up five runs over 38 pitches in the fourth inning before being pulled. This was despite going perfect through the first three.
Zachary Levine at the Chronicle points out how you could see this coming with Wandy, with his decline going all the way back to the end of May:
After compiling a 2.14 ERA in his first 10 starts, he has a 5.65 ERA in his last 10, and there are few answers in the stuff and no injury to speak of.
"Everything is the same," Rodriguez said. "That's the way it happens sometimes."
Even with Wandy struggling, he's still easily the best pitcher on Houston's roster, even though Lucas Harrell has had the best stuff in last few weeks. Lucas Harrell.
Read more on the Astros at The Crawfish Boxes and SB Nation Houston. Baseball Nation is your source for news and analysis around Major League Baseball.