With the Astros dealing with injuries in their rotation, rookie lefty Colton Gordon made his debut and gave Houston a lift with a spirited outing.

This is now the second night in a row that the Astros have been shelled by the Royals starting pitcher. After being held to one run over 6.1 innings on Tuesday by the Royals starter, today’s starter, Michael Lorenzen, was nasty, throwing seven innings of two-run ball, allowing just five hits.

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.