Spencer Arrighetti was back in Houston’s rotation on Wednesday, recalled to start the second game of the Rockies - Astros series on Jackie Robinson Day. The right-hander, who opened the season at Triple A Sugar Land, was making his first major league start of 2026 against Colorado at Daikin Park.
Jose Quitana started for the Rockies, who came in at 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA. Houston entered the game 7-11 overall and 6-2 at home, trying to stop the momentum Colorado built last week in Denver, where the Rockies swept a three-game series at Coors Field from April 6-9, 2026. That was Houston’s first sweep at the hands of Colorado since a four-game set from May 28-31, 2012, and it left the Astros with a clear need for a sharper answer in the rematch.
Arrighetti’s return came after three strong starts for Sugar Land, where he posted a 1.26 ERA with 20 strikeouts, a 0.77 WHIP and a.111 opponent average over 14.1 innings. The Astros needed that form in the worst way. They were also down a pitcher on the day, placing Cody Bolton on the 15-day injured list with right mid-back inflammation, retroactive to April 13.
The game also sat inside a larger day at the ballpark. Houston dedicated its pregame activities to Jackie Robinson Day and scheduled a short Breaking Barriers forum at 5:30 p.m. with 40 high school-aged kids from the Astros Youth Academy. Brice Matthews, Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, Dave Clark, Joe Espada and Dana Brown were set to participate, and JC Hartman was scheduled to deliver the Play Ball Call as the club’s first African American player.
The charity side of the day was just as full. The Correa Family Foundation was due for its monthly visit to Daikin Park, and Carlos Correa and his foundation hosted young patients battling illness and their families at the game, including a visit to the field during batting practice.
Houston was in the second game of a six-game homestand that includes the Rockies and Cardinals, but the last week made this one feel larger than a routine April night. Christian Walker arrived with a.334 average, 29 homers, 77 RBI and a 1.022 OPS in his career against Colorado, and his 29 home runs against the Rockies matched his most against any opponent while tying Paul Goldschmidt for the most by an active player against the club. Cam Smith, meanwhile, had just finished a 10-game road trip hitting.324 with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and a.927 OPS.
For Houston, the test was simple enough: show that the sweep in Denver was a setback, not a pattern, and do it on a day built around the history and meaning of Jackie Robinson’s legacy.
