McHugh (arm) allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over 1.2 innings in Monday's game against the Cardinals, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Making his first start of the spring thanks to injury, McHugh needed 47 pitches to get his five outs. He had been scheduled to throw three of four innings. Three consecutive singles led to a first-inning run, then a walk and two extra-base hits chased him in the second. The results probably get magnified coming so close to the regular season, but McHugh is still getting his velocity up and working on his secondary pitches. The Astros planned to place him on the 10-day disabled list to start the season and have him ready for the second turn of the rotation; however, that notion may have left town Monday. McHugh might need to skip a couple turns through the rotation to get ready.