Astros top pitching prospect Spencer Arrighetti hit hard in MLB debut against Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Spencer Arrighetti's major league debut for the Houston Astros hardly went as planned.

The team's top pitching prospect was tagged for seven runs in the third inning of an 11-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

“I would say a little bit of nerves (and) a lot of emotions,” Arrighetti said. “When you want something that bad your whole life, you want it to be perfect. You want it to go really smoothly and you want everything to feel good. But (the) reality is before the game I was a little bit of an anxious mess. I feel like I had to work harder to get my emotions down a little bit.”

Called up from Triple-A Sugar Land to fill an opening in Houston's injury-depleted rotation, Arrighetti held the Royals off the scoreboard while laboring through the first two innings.

But he unraveled in the third as Kansas City sent 11 batters to the plate.

“He started the game throwing the ball well,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “That third inning kind of got away from him. He started leaving some balls over the plate. I felt like everything they put in play kind of fell for them.”

Arrighetti allowed seven runs, seven hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out three and threw 47 of 79 pitches for strikes.

The 24-year-old right-hander was the Astros’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2023. He went 9-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 124 2/3 innings over 28 appearances, including 21 starts. He recorded 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

“We’ve seen the increase in (velocity) the last year or two. And when he executes his pitches, he can work both sides of the plate. And if he does that, he’ll be in good shape,” Espada said before the game.

Arrighetti was born in New Mexico and went to high school in Texas before the Astros chose him in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Louisiana at Lafayette.

He had 10 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season, allowing two runs and seven hits with seven walks in two starts.

“Knowing that you belong is very important,” Espada said before the game. “I think he knows he belongs. (He’ll) not try to do too much, stay calm, let your defense help you out, execute your pitches and trust the plan. I think he’s capable of doing those things.”

To make room for Arrighetti on the roster, Houston optioned right-hander Wander Suero to Sugar Land.

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