James’ performance good sign for bullpen

Encouraging signs are few and far between for the beleaguered Astros bullpen, a group of rookies and inconsistent veterans who’ve walked a major leagueworst 5.47 hitters per nine innings while throwing to a 4.50 ERA.

Improvement is required if Houston has any hopes of a long playoff run — or making the postseason at all. Consistency from Josh James would help immensely.

James has impressed in two consecutive outings since coming off of the injured list. He threw 11⁄3 perfect innings in the Astros’ come-from-behind win against the Dodgers on Saturday before dazzling with a 1-2-3 seventh inning in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to the Rangers.

James totaled 23 pitches in the two outings. Eighteen were strikes — promising control for a righthander who issued 16 walks in his first 111⁄3 innings this year. James struck out two of the three Rangers he faced Wednesday, running his fastball up to 99 mph and showing great feel for his 90 mph changeup.

James suffered a still mysterious hip injury Aug. 20 at Colorado. He left the mound to field a ground ball and fell to the grass in obvious pain, requiring assistance to leave the field. Asked on Thursday about the specific nature of his injury, James said it was hip “discomfort” — the Astros’ team-wide word to describe any sort of injury.

James acknowledged the hip had been bothering him before the on-field injury. The hardthrowing righthander walked 11 during two starts in the Astros’ rotation earlier this season before manager Dusty Baker put him in the bullpen.

“He was pounding the strike zone, using his fastball more,” Baker said of James’ outing Wednesday. “He had good tempo. His breaking ball was good. It was very encouraging to see Josh throwing the ball like that because we’re certainly going to need him down the stretch and into the playoffs.”