Houston Astros Slide Dallas Keuchel’s Post-ASG Start
By Ron Juckett
Citing keeping the starting rotation close to regular rest, Houston Astros Manager A.J. Hinch said Dallas Keuchel will not pitch next weekend.
Dallas Keuchel, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, will not pitch next weekend for the Houston Astros following the All-Star break.
When the season restarts Friday against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, Doug Fister will get the call instead. Houston, citing a desire to keep their starters close to their regular schedule, follows with Lance McCullers Saturday and Collin McHugh on Sunday. McCullers will be a full week between starts while McHugh threw six innings in the Astros’ 10-9 win at home Friday night against the Oakland Athletics. Fister pitched Thursday, giving him eight days between starts.
Unless a team’s starter pitches in the All-Star Game, the perceived ace traditionally throws the opening game of the second half of the season. Madison Bumgarner, for instance, will make his start this Sunday and will pitch on Friday for the San Francisco Giants against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
As the Astros claw their way back into the AL Wild Card race after a disastrous 7-17 April, manager A. J. Hinch feels leading off with Fister is best for the team.
Keuchel took baseball by storm last year. The lefty went 20-8 as the Astros grabbed an improbable Wild Card spot. Behind his six strong innings, Houston upset the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game at Yankee Stadium.
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This year, like the Astros as a whole, he slumped out of the gate. May, in particular, was horrible. In six starts, he went 1-3 with a miserable ERA of 6.63. Bitten by seven home runs allowed, he surrendered 27 earned runs and 43 hits over 36.2 innings. June was better, slightly. The ERA dropped to 4.30 in six starts, but six balls left the yard and in 37.2 innings, Keuchel gave up 42 hits. As the rest of the team found a groove, he struggled to find his.
When he is on, he has last year’s stuff. In his six wins, his ERA is 2.45. What may come as a surprise is he pitches more to contact in his wins than his losses. Averaging 5.8 K/9 in those six starts, it balloons to 9.3 in his losses. The ERA swells too as in 7.74. When Houston cannot give him three runs or more, he is 1-7 with a 6.17 ERA. Those numbers are not the stuff of aces.
As Houston chases the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays for that elusive Wild Card, they will need Keuchel to find the stuff he had last year. With the Detroit Tigers and defending champion Kansas City Royals right behind the Astros in the standings, they can ill afford another prolonged slump as they had starting the season.
A week away from starts, slotted to pitch July 18 in Oakland, Keuchel finds himself with a luxury this time of year, a vacation week in the middle of the season. Perhaps he can find something on video to help with mechanics, or just relax at home for a day or two to clear his mind.
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When he finds the mound again a week from Monday, for the Astros and himself, he hopes to find his 2015 form again. They both need it.