Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel to miss two starts with shoulder inflammation

Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel will be scratched from his next two starts as a result of inflammation in his left shoulder.

Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel will be scratched from his next two starts as a result of inflammation in his left shoulder, and it is unclear when he will return to the mound.

Keuchel was scheduled to start Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians and he won't make his start against the Chicago Cubs this weekend either. He flew back to Houston over the weekend to receive further testing on his shoulder.

"This is the time of year where there's always soreness," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's really good at pitching through a lot of the irregularities that happen throughout the season, and this is just something he couldn't do. When he played catch on Sunday and felt uncomfortable, we decided to send him back."

Keuchel (9–12, 4.55 ERA) started experiencing discomfort after his most recent start on Aug. 27. The 2015 American League Cy Young winner has won six of his 12 starts since mid-June.

"It's a difficult blow in that our rotation is going to need to have guys step up and pitch well and keep us in games," Hinch said. "It's never easy, and I think every team this time of year, regardless of whether you're in it or not, probably has some circumstances they've had to overcome. This is going to be ours."

Houston has won seven of its last 10 games and trails the Texas Rangers by 8.5 games in the AL West. The Astros are two games back of the second wild-card slot.

- Scooby Axson