McHugh likely to DL; Keuchel gets opener
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — It’s becoming increasingly likely Astros starter Collin McHugh will begin the season on the 10day disabled list, paving the way for both Joe Musgrove and Mike Fiers to make the opening day rotation and Brad Peacock to potentially win a spot as a long reliever.
McHugh has yet to build up his arm beyond the three-inning mark with less than two weeks until the last day on which he could debut on time. He’s expected to next pitch early in the week but would probably still be limited to only four innings or around 60 to 65 pitches. If not ready for the season, McHugh would likely need just one or two starts on an official rehab assignment before re-entering the Astros’ rotation, at which point the team would have to make a rotation decision between Musgrove and Fiers.
Musgrove will make his final Grapefruit League start Sunday, which leaves him in line to be on five days’ rest for the fourth game of the regular season. Fiers will make his final Grapefruit League start Monday, so he would be available on five days’ rest for the fifth game of the season.
Both Musgrove and Fiers have pitched well this spring, so the Astros have little incentive to rush McHugh. The 29-yearold righthander came into spring training with dead arm, which delayed the start to his throwing program early on.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch has not set his rotation beyond Dallas Keuchel on opening day and committing to Lance McCullers and Charlie Morton in a yet-be-decided order for the second and third games of the season.
But Hinch finally acknowledged Friday that “it’s looking more and more likely that (McHugh) may be late for the season” though he still wouldn’t make a definitive declaration. The shortening of the minimum DL stint from 15 to 10 days this year does offer the Astros a bit more flexibility.
McHugh’s delay increases the likelihood the Astros carry the out-ofoptions Peacock on their 25-man roster to begin the season, the odds of which appeared remote at the start of spring training. The Astros could use Peacock as a long reliever like they did Michael Feliz at the beginning of last season. Although he has a starting background, the team hasn’t built up Feliz this spring to throw more than two innings in an outing.
If Peacock makes the opening day roster, the Astros will have only one bullpen spot remaining for James Hoyt or Jandel Gustave. Hoyt has allowed three earned runs on eight hits in seven innings this spring, while Gustave has yielded only two earned runs and three hits in 72⁄3 innings.
Keuchel selected for opening day
There was no grand meeting or anything close to resembling one. After Dallas Keuchel completed his fifth and final inning Wednesday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch notified the pitcher of the obvious — he will start opening day.
“OK,” Keuchel told Hinch. “I’ll be there.”
Only five pitchers in the franchise’s 56-year history will have made more opening day starts than Keuchel’s three when he pitches opposite Seattle’s Felix Hernandez on April 3 at Minute Maid Park. The bearded 29-year-old lefthander is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his two opening day starts.
The Astros are relying on the 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner to bounce back from his 4.55 ERA of last season, which ended prematurely when he was diagnosed in late August with inflammation in his pitching shoulder.
Keuchel, who has allowed two runs over 12 Grapefruit League innings this spring, is in line to make his final spring start on Tuesday or Wednesday against Miami. Because he was not on the trip to Port St. Lucie, he was not available for comment.
Keuchel’s third opening day start for the Astros will tie him with Nolan Ryan, who started three opening days each for the Astros, Rangers and Angels, and Joe Niekro in the club’s record book. Roy Oswalt holds the Astros’ record with eight. Mike Scott, J.R. Richard and Shane Reynolds each started five, and Larry Dierker started four.
The bald eagle has landed
The bald eagle statue that became Team USA’s unofficial mascot in the World Baseball Classic found a temporary home at the Astros’ spring training complex Friday.
Relief pitcher Luke Gregerson brought the roughly 45-pound porcelain sculpture back with him from Los Angeles, where the U.S. defeated Puerto Rico on Wednesday night for its first WBC title. Two days after it perched on the Dodger Stadium mound moments after the final out, the eagle rested on a counter in the Astros’ clubhouse, one of its wings having been clipped during the on-field celebration.
“A casualty of war,” Gregerson said.
Gregerson was the one responsible for the statue. He got the statue from his father-in-law, Chuck, who according to the pitcher has “a fascination with eagles” and has accumulated over the years many different types of sculptures, pictures and other trinkets that depict the large bird of prey.
“He’s got a bunch of eagles in my garage in my house (in Orlando) right now,” Gregerson said. “Guys were looking for an eagle and I told them, ‘Hey, I got an eagle guy.’ ”
Gregerson brought the eagle to Team USA’s firstround games in Miami and then lugged it across the country to San Diego for the second round and then to Los Angeles for the semifinals and finals.
“He had a seatbelt on the whole way,” Gregerson joked.
Odds and ends
Charlie Morton wasn’t as sharp Friday as he has been but still managed to pitch 41⁄3 scoreless innings in the Astros’ 2-0 win against the Mets. Morton has allowed only two earned runs and 10 hits in 171⁄3 innings on the spring. … Astros outfield prospect Derek Fisher stole three bases Friday, giving him 10 in as many opportunities on the spring. Fisher, who will begin the season in Class AAA, has also impressed with his bat. He’s hitting .303 with a .900 OPS in 33 Grapefruit League at-bats. … Bench coach Alex Cora rejoined the Astros ahead of Friday’s game. Cora had been in San Diego and Los Angeles with Team Puerto Rico, for which he was the general manager. … Outfielder James Ramsay, the Astros’ seventh-round draft pick in 2013, and lefthander Chris Cotton, who pitched in Class AAA last year, are among 15 minor leaguers who have been released by the Astros this spring.