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McCullers (1-1) took the loss against the Cardinals on Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
McCullers allowed two runs in the first and third innings, throwing 58 of 91 pitches for strikes while generating 10 whiffs. After going seven strong frames in his season debut March 30, the 32-year-old has now yielded 13 earned runs across his past three starts. He'll carry a 6.20 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB across 20.1 innings into a tough home matchup against the Yankees next weekend.
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Astros' Nick Allen: Scratched due to back issue
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Allen was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to back spasms, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Allen was originally in Saturday's lineup but ultimately was unable to take the field. Original reports suggested he was available for Saturday's game, though it appears that likely wasn't the case. The severity of the issue is not clear.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Likely headed for IL
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Manager Joe Espada said Loperfido (quadriceps) will likely be placed on the injured list, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Loperfido suffered a quad injury in Friday's game against the Cardinals and was held out of the lineup Saturday. An official transaction could be coming on Sunday, though a more detailed diagnosis and timeline for return remain unclear.
Allen did not suffer an injury and is available off the bench for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Allen was originally in the lineup for Saturday's game, starting at shortstop while hitting ninth. However, he did not take the field with the starters, with Shay Whitcomb taking Allen's spot. The move appears to be discretionary, as the team has advised that Allen did not suffer an injury.
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Astros' Shay Whitcomb: Enters Saturday's lineup
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Whitcomb is starting at third base in Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitcomb wasn't in the original lineup and the Astros never announced a change. However, he took the field with the rest of Houston's starters and is manning third base while hitting ninth. Nick Allen (undisclosed) was removed from the lineup.
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Astros' Nick Allen: Late scratch
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Allen did not start Saturday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Allen was originally slated to start the game at shortstop while hitting ninth. The Astros never announced a change to the lineup, but Carlos Correa took the field at shortstop with Shay Whitcomb manning the hot corner. It's unclear if Allen suffered an injury or if the team just made a change to its lineup.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Not in Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Loperfido (quadriceps) is not in the Astros' starting lineup against the Cardinals on Saturday.
Loperfido injured his right quad during Friday's series opener. He'll rest up Saturday with the hopes that he is cleared to return to the lineup for Sunday's series finale. Houston will start Yordan Alvarez, Taylor Trammell and Cam Smith in the outfield from left to right.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Diaz is not in the Astros' starting lineup against the Cardinals on Saturday.
Diaz will take a seat after starting in each of the Astros' last two games, going 0-for-8 with two strikeouts in that span. Christian Vazquez will start behind home plate and bat eighth while catching pitches from Lance McCullers.
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Astros' Isaac Paredes: Serving as DH vs. St. Louis
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Paredes (leg) will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth against the Cardinals on Saturday.
Paredes entered Friday's game in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter but was later removed due to a leg injury, though the issue doesn't appear to be a serious one as he's back in the lineup for Saturday's contest. He has struggled at the plate as of late, going 0-for-11 with four walks and three strikeouts over his last four games.
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Astros' Dustin Harris: Claimed by Houston
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The Astros claimed Harris off waivers from the White Sox on Saturday.
Harris was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Wednesday, and he'll now be a part of the Astros organization after being claimed Saturday, though he'll likely be assigned to Triple-A Sugar Land. Harris appeared in six regular-season games for the White Sox, going 3-for-12 with two steals, one RBI and two runs scored.
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Astros' J.P. France: Cut from 40-man roster
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The Astros designated France for assignment Saturday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The move makes room on the Astros' 40-man roster for outfielder Dustin Harris, who was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in a corresponding move. France struggled out of the bullpen across three outings with Houston, allowing six runs on six hits and five walks while striking out four in 6.2 innings.
Astros' Christian Vazquez: Homers in loss to St. Louis
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Vazquez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Vazquez got the scoring started for the Astros, taking Kyle Leahy deep for a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning. Three solo homers were the extent of the damage against Leahy. Vazquez has made seven starts this season and has at least one hit in all seven, as he's now slashing .400/.438/.733 with two home runs, 10 RBI, five runs scored and a 2:7 BB:K across 33 trips to the plate.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Hits eighth homer in loss
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Alvarez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Alvarez's solo shot off right-hander Kyle Leahy in the bottom of the third inning was Alvarez's eighth long ball of the season, matching Jordan Walker and Aaron Judge for the league lead. The lefty slugger's longest home run drought is three games this season. He also has six doubles on the year. Alvarez has started all 21 games to this point and is slashing .333/.479/.750 with the eight homers, 19 RBI, 17 runs scored, one stolen base and an 18:10 BB:K across 94 plate appearances. In addition to home runs, Alvarez also leads the majors in RBI and walks.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Homers in loss Friday
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Altuve went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Altuve took Kyle Leahy deep in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull Houston within one run. After batting .378 through the first 11 games of the season, Altuve is 8-for-38 (.211) over his last nine games. Altuve's homer Friday was his first RBI in that span. The second baseman is slashing .293/.404/.493 with three home runs, seven RBI, 15 runs scored, one stolen base and a 14:17 BB:K across 89 trips to the plate.
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Astros' Peter Lambert: Strikes out eight in return to MLB
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Lambert (0-1) took the loss Friday against the Cardinals, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk with eight strikeouts across five innings.
Lambert had his contract selected from Triple-A Sugar Land earlier in the day Friday and made his first major-league start in nearly two full calendar years. He spent the 2025 season pitching in Japan before signing with Houston this past winter. Lambert had the Cardinals off balance with his changeup in particular and averaged 95.2 mph with his four-seamer. The right-hander likely showed enough to warrant another start with Houston's pitching staff depleted by injuries. Lambert is lined up to face the Guardians in Cleveland next week.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Managing quad tightness
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Loperfido was pulled from Friday's game against the Cardinals due to right quad tightness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Loperfido went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being taken out of the game at the start of the seventh inning. Brice Matthews entered as the 26-year-old's replacement and could get more reps in left field if Loperfido has to miss any amount of time.
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Astros' Isaac Paredes: Battling leg tightness
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Paredes was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals due to leg tightness, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Paredes entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning but was later taken out of the game himself when his leg began to bother him in the eighth. If he ends up needing to sit out Saturday's contest as well, Nick Allen would presumably get the nod at shortstop.
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