Houston Astros to skip Dallas Keuchel’s last start

Houston Astros’ left-hander Dallas Keuchel won’t make his final scheduled start this season after throwing eight innings of one-hit baseball at the Seattle Mariners Saturday night.

According to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle, via Twitter:

In the midst of another lost season in Houston, Keuchel has been a breakout performer this year, finishing 12-9 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.175 WHIP in 29 starts and 200 innings.

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Keuchel leads the American League with five complete games and is sixth with a 2.93 ERA. He’s also kept the ball in the park—a tough thing for a lefty in Minute Maid Park with the Campbell boxes about 50 feet (measurement approximate) down the left-field line. His 0.495 home runs per nine innings rate is third in the AL.

The 26-year-old emerged as the Astros’ ace even before Jarred Cosart was dealt to the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline and the development was unexpected.

In his first two seasons, Keuchel had gone 9-18 with a 5.20 ERA and 1.540 WHIP in 38 starts and nine relief appearances covering 239 innings.

Keuchel is a bargain for awhile, as well. He’s not arbitration eligible until 2016 and can’t enter the free agency market until 2019.

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