HOUSTON -- Every spring, Astros manager Dusty Baker says he’s looking for a surprise rookie, someone to step up and make an impact that was unexpected entering the season. Enter J.P. France, a 28-year-old, bespectacled right-hander who was maybe seventh or eighth on the team’s starting pitching depth chart in March.
Injuries to Lance McCullers Jr. in the spring and fellow starters Luis Garcia and José Urquidy a month into the season brought France’s talents and his mustache into the limelight. France has taken advantage of his opportunity with the Astros, who rode his seven strong innings and a three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez on Monday night to beat the Guardians, 7-3, at Minute Maid Park.
“I’m always looking for that guy, and there’s always one if he gets the opportunity to shine,” Baker said.
The win got the Astros to within a half-game of the idle Rangers atop the American League West standings -- the closest Houston has been to first place since the end of April.
France (7-3) held the Guardians to two runs on seven hits and two walks and struck out six batters for his third consecutive start -- and fifth of the season -- in which he pitched seven innings. He has a 2.85 ERA, which is the lowest by an Astros pitcher in his first 15 career appearances. France is 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in six starts since June 29.
“My main goal every start is just to use the bullpen as little as we can and eat innings for our guys and give our team a chance to win every time I go out there,” France said.
France gave up two runs and three hits in the second inning, but he kept Cleveland off the board for the rest of his outing. He said his fastball and changeup were especially sharp pitches, along with his cutter, though it wasn’t in the strike zone as much as he would have liked. With seven left-handed hitters stacked in the Guardians lineup, the changeup had to be effective.
“I was just attacking the zone and getting ahead of guys and not trying to nibble too much,” France said. “Just be in the zone, and if they hit it, they hit it. With this lineup, you’ve got to attack them.”
Veteran right-hander Noah Syndergaard, making his first start for the Guardians, kept the Astros off the board into the sixth inning before having to leave the game when he was struck by a comebacker. The Astros teed off against reliever Eli Morgan, capped by a three-run homer by Alvarez that put them ahead, 4-2.
“As soon as he hit it out, I took a deep breath, and my shoulders went down, and I was just … ‘Thank you,’” France said.
The Astros added France, a 14th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, to the 40-man roster in the winter, which was an indication of how highly the organization thought of him. He battled an injury during Spring Training, which made it even less likely he’d make a meaningful impact on the big league roster this year.
“I tried not to get caught up too much [in the], ‘If I do this, I may get the call up,’” France said. “You do what you can, and probably the biggest adjustment I’ve made the past two years is control what you control, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You’re going to worry about it, but you can’t let it affect what you’re going to do.”
France was clearly the Astros’ most effective starting pitcher in the month of July, setting him up to play a big role in the playoff push and beyond. Even if the Astros pull off a trade for a starting pitcher by Tuesday’s 5 p.m. CT deadline, France’s place in Houston’s rotation seems secure.
A surprise indeed.
“I think I’m just riding a wave right now,” he said. “Confidence is always going to go up as the starts keep going. Just honestly taking it one start at a time and building off the good stuff that happened in the past outings. If stuff, say, doesn’t go your way, just learn from it and forget about it. Take it one step at a time and keep it rolling.”