The survival of a six-man rotation relied on Colton Gordon’s left arm. His major-league debut on Wednesday night doubled as an inflection point for a pitching staff pushed to its limit. Two starters are absent due to injury and the bullpen is down a reliever by choice.

When Casey Clary started giving youth baseball lessons some 15 years ago, his self-described philosophy was "to basically do more than everyone else." Rain in St. Petersburg, Fla., for example, would not mean canceling but running or practicing slides in the elements,

The 26-year-old left-hander is the Astros' No. 14-ranked prospect and one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League so far this season.