The Houston Astros have been in desperate need of pitching help, and they're getting it from an unlikely source.

On Saturday, reliever-turned-starter Kai-Wei Teng pitched six shutout innings in a 3-0 road win over the Chicago Cubs, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out six batters on 89 pitches. Following the effort, Teng lowered his earned run average (ERA) for the season to 2.19, providing significant relief for a staff that had threatened to derail Houston's season.

Strong Kai-Wei Teng start an unexpected glimmer of hope for struggling Astros

The Astros entered Saturday last in team ERA (5.28), pitchers allowing a league-high 5.02 walks per nine innings and opponents hitting .298 on balls in play, MLB's sixth-highest mark, per FanGraphs data. The starting and relief staff alike have been problematic, with starters No. 26 in ERA (4.92) and relievers ranked last (5.70).

Houston needed a boost, but Teng was an improbable choice to breathe life into the unit. The third-year pro made his MLB debut on March 31, 2024, with the San Francisco Giants, who he played for the past two seasons with underwhelming results, posting a 7.30 ERA in 12 appearances (seven starts). 

He's been much more effective this season in Houston, although he began the year coming out of the bullpen for his first 11 games. After a shaky first two starts on April 28 and May 10, when he allowed five earned runs in six innings, Teng has been more effective over his past two, allowing no earned runs and four hits over 11 innings.

As Astros beat reporter Brian McTaggart pointed out, Teng's sweeper in particular has been nearly unhittable this season, including against the Cubs, who whiffed seven times against the pitch on Saturday. 

At 22-31, the Astros have an uphill battle to get back into the division race. But they benefit from playing in MLB's worst division. The Athletics are the only AL West team with a winning record, and they're only a game above .500. Every other division leader is at least nine games above .500.

With no other team taking ownership of the division, Houston can still make a run over the final two-thirds of the regular season. But any hope of a comeback begins with the Astros being more consistent on the mound. Teng's most recent start is promising in that regard, and others must follow suit for Houston to pull itself off the mat.