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Houston Astros: Patience is key with Keuchel injury

By Joe Fernandez

May 5, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) throws in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2017; Anaheim, CA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) throws in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Astros have announced that Dallas Keuchel will not return until after the all-star break. And while that’s not the news Astros fans were hoping for, the positive sign is the way the team is handling it.

The Houston Astros are being very cautious with their ace, knowing full well the baseball regular season is a marathon and not a sprint. Not to mention they’d rather have a healthy Keuchel waiting for the post-season that we look like we’re on our way to making.

While his return is highly anticipated, the Astros have no need to do anything risky or stupid in terms of getting Keuchel on an accelerated time table. They have the best record in all of baseball with a game lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers. And while home field advantage in the World Series would be nice, it’s important to focus on the fact that the team is head and shoulders above the rest of the American League.

This gives us a luxury to not make any dicey decisions when it comes to seeing if a guy can go through an injury or maybe taking one less day for a guy on a day to day injury. The Astros have the best record in the American League by 10 games over the New York Yankees and a 13 game division lead.

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The Yankees have the highest win percentage of any team in the AL behind the Astros at .548. The Astros have a .675 win percentage. That is a pace of 88 wins to 109 wins. I.E.-The Astros, despite all their misfortune with injuries and an inconsistent bullpen, are outpacing the rest of the AL by a mile.

So long as the offense keeps being the best offense in baseball with it’s incredible balance and depth top to bottom, we can afford to let players heal. Even if Keuchel were not to come back until late August or early September, if it means he’s ready come October (Not trying to pull a Governor Abbott here, but playoff baseball does seem in our fortunes) then that’s all that matters.

The Astros need to keep their eye on the long game. And it’s important to keep in mind that even if the Astros play .500 ball for the remaining 85 games, they finish with 94-95 wins.  That’s good enough for a playoff berth. And we need to keep our eye towards October with every decision we make.

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So Keuchel can wait as long as he needs to in order to make sure he comes back fully healthy, rested and ready to go. The offense has proven it can handle the load. That said…Mr. Luhnow, go get us an ace starting pitcher and some bullpen help. Because while those holes can be overcome in the regular season, there’s no such luxury come October when you’re playing against the best of the best.

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