Reinforcements on the way
The club mulls bolstering bullpen, and Dallas Keuchel throws a minor league rehab start.
BALTIMORE — In what was likely his final minor league rehab start before he rejoins the Astros, Dallas Keuchel completed five innings and built his pitch count to 62 on Saturday.
Pitching for the Astros’ short-season Class A Tri-City affiliate in Lowell, Mass., Keuchel allowed a run on three hits. He threw 77.4 percent of his pitches for strikes, struck out five and didn’t issue a walk.
Presuming he recovers well, Keuchel could start for the Astros as early as in Friday night’s series opener in Detroit. Saturday’s game against the Tigers is also a possibility if the team decides to give Keuchel an extra day of rest.
Speaking to reporters at Camden Yards in Baltimore just before Keuchel took the mound in Lowell, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said the team probably won’t disclose a determination regarding the next step for Keuchel until Monday. Keuchel will meet back up with the Astros on Sunday in Baltimore.
“(The next day’s) recovery day is always key,” Hinch said. “A lot of people focus on the night that the guy rehabs. More times than not when you’re coming back from injury, you’re more focused on the second day. ‘How sore is he? How tired is he? How fit is he to attack a major league lineup?’ ”
The former Cy Young Award winner needed only 30 pitches to record his first nine outs. The only run he allowed came in his final inning, when Lowell strung together two hits.
The Astros haven’t set their rotation beyond Wednesday. Brad Peacock, Charlie Morton and Mike Fiers will start in the series in Philadelphia that begins Monday.
Moran leaves with facial cut
Third baseman Colin Moran required the assistance of a cart to leave the field after fouling a ball off his face in the sixth inning.
Moran appeared to have a cut below his left eye. Appearing too woozy to walk off the field, he was tended to on the grass to the left of the batter’s box for about five minutes by trainers and Astros manager A.J. Hinch before the cart arrived.
“As soon as we got him up he thought he was going to pass out,” Hinch said.
The incident occurred on the first pitch to Moran’s from lefthander Darren O’Day. The pitch was a slider that ran in on the lefthanded-hitting Moran, who swung and deflected the ball at his left cheek.
Moran was taken to a hospital for an array of tests, according to Hinch, “for everything from a concussion to a fracture.”
Moran will be placed on the disabled list and the Astros will make a roster move to add a position player before Sunday’s game.
Relievers sought as deadline nears
As the time before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline dissipates, the Astros’ need to bolster their bullpen continues to outweigh their requirement for a starting pitcher.
Entering Saturday night’s game the Astros ranked ninth in the American League and tied for 15th in the majors in bullpen ERA (4.15).
By bolstering a group that features the versatile Chris Devenski, Will Harris and Ken Giles, the Astros could put themselves in position to counteract a poor start by going to their bullpen early.
Two lefthanders, Justin Wilson of the Tigers and Zach Britton of the Orioles, headline the list of potential reliever targets for the Astros. Orioles righthander Brad Brach and Mets righthander Addison Reed are also bullpen arms to monitor.
Odds & ends
Yuli Gurriel batted cleanup for the first time this season. … Alex Bregman played shortstop a second consecutive game while Colin Moran got another opportunity at third base. … The Astros will face Vince Velasquez, the best prospect the Astros parted with in the December 2015 trade for Ken Giles, on Monday. … Moran on Friday became just the second player in Astros history to hit a home run and a triple in his first major league game of a season. The late Ken Caminiti accomplished the feat in his major league debut July 16, 1987, against the Phillies at the Astrodome.