Schedule considerations put Devenski back in pen

The plan for using six starting pitchers didn’t have a long shelf life.

With Dallas Keuchel set to start Sunday against the Rangers, Chris Devenski is moving back to the bullpen.

“He’s not starting right now,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I let him know today he’s going to be in the pen through the weekend and that very well could be the way we go after the off day. We’ll see when we get to the Baltimore series and where it takes us, but the rotation this weekend will be (Lance) McCullers ,( Mike) Fiers and Keuchel.”

The Astros are off Monday before playing 20 consecutive days, starting with three games at home against the Orioles.

Devenski, who threw 56 pitches in a start Sunday at Boston, was available Wednesday in an emergency role and would be on full rest Thursday. The 25-year-old replaced Scott Feldman in the rotation and made four starts, registering two losses and a pair of no-decisions. He struck out 16 but gave up eight walks and 11 runs — six coming Sunday.

McCullers’ return and two scheduled off days in May brought about a modified six-man rotation.

Despite going to the bullpen, Devenski could still move back and forth between there and the rotation. He succeeded while in the bullpen, making six appearances and allowing one run over 132⁄3 innings (0.66 ERA).

“It’s not an easy role, but it’s one that his durability and arm strength can handle,” Hinch said. “He provides a different look for our pen. He’s virtually a second lefty for me with his changeup.

“His velocity was a little higher out of the pen. There’s a lot of reasons why he makes our staff stronger, and I think he’ll start more games as we move forward. But for the purposes of planning for the rest of this series and the Texas series, I let him know what his role would be.”

Giles feeling more comfortable

Ken Giles is feeling better on the mound, and the results are showing it, both by the zeros the 25-year-old is putting on the scoreboard and the near triple-digit fastballs he’s throwing.

Giles has gone five out- ings without allowing a run and has allowed just one this month. His ERA stands at 6.89.

That follows a start in which the hard-throwing righthander, who was the centerpiece of an offseason trade with the Phillies, gave up 10 runs in April and more home runs (four) than during his two season in Philadelphia (three).

“I think his mechanics are a little more in sync, and he’s a guy that historically has gotten stronger as the season’s gone along,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Getting into the season has always been a problem for him, so I think he’s getting a little more comfortable.

“I think his mechanics … he’s gathering himself a little bit more, and he’s being extraordinarily aggressive with his fastball.”

Giles entered Tuesday’s game with the bases loaded and one out after the White Sox chased Dallas Keuchel. Facing Jimmy Rollins, a former MVP, and All-Star Jose Abreu, Giles struck out both on eight combined pitches. His fastball reached 99 mph, according to BrooksBaseball.net.

Durng April, his fastball topped out at 97 mph as Giles struggled to get outs in high-leverage situations. He was eventually moved out of those situations.

“Little by little, everything’s coming back, and I’m really happy about that,” Giles said after Tuesday’s game.

Said Hinch: “I think he’s exhaled a little bit, and I also think success has a funny way of making you feel a little bit better about yourself and feeling a little big more at ease. Guys that get to this level — if they don’t feel like they’re contributing, it can be pretty miserable.”

Rasmus makes 8-year-old’s day

Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus helped make Wednesday special for 8-year-old Owen Mahan.

As part of the organization’s partnership with Shriners Hospital, Rasmus went to the Chicago facility to visit Mahan, who, in an accident in 2009, suffered second- and third-degree burns that covered 98 percent of his body. Mahan fell in a fish tank full of boiling water that his parents were cleaning and was originally given no chance for survival.

“He was 2 years old at the time when he went through those things, and he didn’t really know what was going on. To see how his spirit is and he’s still feels pretty good and he’s laughing and cutting up, it was something I’ve been wanting to do this year — get out and do some things in the community,” said Rasmus, who brought his children along.

Rasmus gave Mahan an orange Astros jersey, and the two spent time together during batting practice. In addition, a number of Astros went over to see Mahan, who collected signatures on a team baseball.

Odds and ends

After Tony Kemp and Jose Altuve led off Wednesday’s eighth inning with walks, George Springer grounded into a 5-4-3 triple play, the first the Astros had hit into since April 9, 1989, against the Padres. It was the second the White Sox have turned this season. …

Colin Moran went 0-for-3 with a walk in his big league debut, reaching in the seventh inning. … Prospect Alex Bregman went 2-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season for Class AA Corpus Christi.