Astros: Dallas Keuchel Scoreless in First Rehab Start

Astros ‘ace’ Dallas Keuchel begins his road back in Corpus Christi.

After watching Astros pitcher Collin McHugh make his third rehab appearance, the Corpus Christi Hooks watched Dallas Keuchel throw three scoreless innings in last night’s rehab start against the Frisco RoughRiders.

Fans had much more than $1 Hot Dogs to get them to Whataburger Field Monday night. Dallas Keuchel once dawned  Hooks uniform and was in familiar territory for his first rehab start. He wasted no time while at work, making his three inning outing look rather easy.

The Stat Line

Keuchel averaged 15 pitches per inning and was in control from the first pitch. Ideally, pitchers want to throw 12 to 15 pitches an inning, which he was able to do. He was able to generate ground ball outs and work efficiently through three innings. It was safe to assume that he would face some form of rust, but only to allow one walk was to exceed expectations. Most importantly, this was a great start to Keuchel’s road back to the top of the Astros rotation.

Keuchel’s Health

Keuchel has been on the disabled list since June 2nd with a pinched nerve in his neck. It was alarming for Astros fans to see the lefty fall to injury. With all the hopes and focus on a championship, it seemed to hinge on his health. That is the single most important thing to come from tonight. No report has yet to develop from the team about how he feels, but he looked great in his short outing.

Next: Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa leaves game with jammed thumb

Looking Forward

Following a similar track as McHugh, Keuchel is in line for two more rehab starts before returning to the rotation. Working off five days rest, he will see the mound early next week. With that being said, they will look to expand his pitch count to see how he reacts going deeper into games. All in all, the Keuchel’s progression is exactly what this pitching staff needs in pursuit of postseason glory.

***Stats and Data Courtesy of Adam Wexler and Chris Thomasson***