41 Brad Peacock RP

Peacock's experience as a successful reliever earlier this season makes him a likely candidate to be removed from the starting rotation when Dallas Keuchel (neck) returns to start Friday in Detroit, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch will delay disclosing which pitcher will be removed from the current rotation until the weekend, but it should come down to Peacock or Mike Fiers. Both pitchers helped stabilize the rotation the last two months while others around them were getting injured. Neither one deserves to be removed, but someone's got to go when a Cy Young-caliber pitching is returning.

Peacock departed Monday's start against the Phillies after three innings because of a rain delay.

Peacock allowed one run on two hits and two walks over his three innings on the mound, striking out four, but a rain delay of nearly two hours saw Joe Musgrove come out in his place. The veteran had rattled off three consecutive quality starts prior to Monday's abbreviated appearance and could slot right back in for Saturday's start against the Tigers, although a day off in the schedule could present an additional opportunity to give him a breather.

Peacock (8-1) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine over seven innings in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Mariners.

Peacock has had problems with control this season but none of that was evident Tuesday, as he got to a three-ball count just four times. He won his fifth straight start and has become a formidable replacement starter. Things will get interesting when Dallas Keuchel (neck) is ready to return to the rotation, as there isn't an obvious pitcher that deserves to be demoted to the bullpen. Barring injury, the decision will come down to Peacock or Mike Fiers.

Peacock (7-1) fired six scoreless innings in Sunday's win over the Blue Jays, allowing five hits and five walks with four strikeouts.

Peacock constantly flirted with danger, but he was staked to a massive early lead and was allowed to work through some potentially troublesome situations. He struggled to find the strike zone at times, with the five free passes representing his second-highest total of the season, but some timely outs helped him finish six shutout frames. Peacock will carry a stellar 2.63 ERA into the All-Star break, but his hefty 1.30 WHIP and substandard 84:37 K:BB indicate that some regression could be in store in the second half of the season. Still, he has enjoyed a successful transition into a full-time starter's role and will look to keep it going after a brief rest during the All-Star break.

Peacock (6-1) gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven over six-plus innings in Tuesday's 16-4 rout of the Braves.

He held Atlanta scoreless through six innings before running into some trouble in the seventh, but by then Houston had a 12-0 lead and Peacock's win was in no jeopardy. It's just the second time since moving into the rotation that the right-hander has lasted at least six innings, but he continues to pile up the Ks, having whiffed at least seven batters in seven of his eight starts. He'll make one more start before the All-Star break Sunday in Toronto.