Houston Astros’ Dallas Keuchel to Miss Two Starts
By Nick Fustor
The Houston Astros hopes of securing a playoff berth have become more grim, as ace Dallas Keuchel will miss at least two starts with shoulder soreness, as reported by ESPN.com.
At just 2.5 games back in the American League Wild Card standings, the Houston Astros have a very real chance at making the playoffs. But with the news that Dallas Keuchel will miss at least two starts, the Astros’ chances are much more slim.
While Keuchel will only miss two starts at the very least, that’s a significant amount of time to miss in September. The 28-year-old struggled to start the season after winning the AL Cy Young award last year, but had come on strong of late.
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Keuchel had a 3.10 ERA in August, and has only allowed three or more runs in three starts dating back to June 18. His overall 4.55 ERA is much improved from where he started the season, and his 3.87 FIP tells a much different story of his season.
The left-hander has been dealing with soreness for a while now and was scratched from his start on Friday. On Monday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch said he’s unsure if Keuchel will pitch again this season.
"“We’ll have to get back and see how all these tests come back and how he continues to feel,” Hinch said. “We tried to give him some gaps in time and give him some rest period, but that hasn’t solved it. He’s going to go see the doctors he needs to see, and until he’s pain free, he’s not throwing. Where we are in the calendar is going to bring the obvious questions, but we just don’t know right now. “"
After throwing a career-high 232 innings last season, Keuchel’s soreness is understandable. His previous high was 200 innings, which he set in 2014, but he never threw more than 200 innings before that.
The Astros will need Keuchel to return if they have any hope of staying in the Wild Card race, as Lance McCullers is currently on the disabled list. Right-hander Brad Peacock will replace Keuchel in the rotation, but he’ll need to have a considerable impact to help the rest of the Astros ailing starters.
Other than Doug Fister – who has been surprisingly effective after a down 2015 season – the rest of Houston’s starters have been meddling along for much of the season. Collin McHugh has an ERA near five, Mike Fiers is far from flashy and Joe Musgrove is still settling in since his promotion in August.
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Keuchel’s quick return will likely be the deciding factor that pushes the Astros into the postseason.