HOUSTON — The process is peculiar but precise, producing baseball’s fourth-lowest bullpen ERA since May 1 while masking so much else that ails the Houston Astros. It features three left-handed relievers that finish games regardless of lineup pockets or platoon splits. This seems a suspect way to function, but the Astros have somehow survived, winning 34 of the first 36 times they led after seven innings.When the 37th arrived on Friday night, the process broke and begged the question of how sustainable this southpaw-heavy setup can be. After Taylor Ward launched a baseball onto one of Dakin Park’s three left-field balconies, Enyel De Los Santos started to stir in the Astros’ bullpen. He threw in the seventh inning, too, while southpaw Steven Okert navigated the bottom of the Baltimore Orioles’ order.To tackle the top of it, manager Joe Espada summoned Bryan King, the mustached minor-league Rule 5 pick who has made himself a bullpen mainstay. Since King debuted in 2024, right-handed hitters have a .628 OPS against him. This season, King did not allow a home run to a right-handed hitter in his first 38 appearances.Ward’s go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning is the fourth long ball King has surrendered to a right-handed hitter in his past three outings. In any other month, this may be viewed as little more than a miserable stretch at a position prone to them. Relievers are the most volatile players in a sport that values large sample sizes over a few forgettable outings.