The Houston Astros were rudely eliminated by the Chicago White Sox in a two-game sweep in the AL Wild Card round after finishing the season with a record of 81-81, which was good enough to win the AL West and hold the worst playoff record in Major League Baseball history.

However, going into the postseason, Houston knows better than anyone else that anything can happen. Unfortunately for the former dynasty, the Astros couldn't put up a fight against the young White Sox, despite tossing their best starting pitcher to the mound in the Game 2 elimination game.

Brown, who wasn't healthy the whole season, played a large role in stabilizing the starting rotation that led the Astros to the playoffs. When the season was on the line, manager Joe Espada more often than not knows that Brown would be the right choice, he just wasn't that day.

Brown struggled to get through the first inning, giving up five hits, four runs (three of which were earned), and issuing one walk while recording two strikeouts against the Sox' starting lineup. He ended the game with a 40.50 ERA, marking the worst performance of his playoff career.

Brown let it be known about his frustrations with his shortcomings in meeting high expectations following the tough outing as well.

Why the Astros Can't Lose Hope for Brown

For starters, making his season debut in March, eventually returning to the mound in June, Brown finished his regular season making 20 starts and holding a respectable 3.19 ERA in 107.1 innings. The 27-year-old has developed into one of the best starting pitchers for the Astros organization.

Take his other playoff performances, for example. In his playoff career, Brown holds a 3.18 ERA in nine games, two starts. In his 2025 playoff start, Brown went 5.2 innings and allowed two hits and one run on the long ball.

Some could make the case that Brown's playoff start success isn't concrete, having been a 50-50 player, but at the end of the day, the Astros have no better option to turn to in the rotation moving forward, so long as Peter Lambert or Cristian Javier don't step up their games significantly.

While fans and the organization were let down by his performance, the outlier in overall playoff performance as well as how well he's pitched in the regular season throughout his career (3.44 career ERA, third-place finish in 2025 AL Cy Young voting), Houston must build some extra rotational insurance around Brown rather than blaming him for elimination.