MLB Player News

Manager A.J. Hinch said that Morton would start Monday against the Angels after he had his scheduled start Sunday against the Athletics postponed by rain, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Hinch wouldn't confirm that all five of the Astros' starters would move back a day due to the rainout, but Morton will at least line up for a two-start week following Sunday's postponement. After taking the hill Monday, he's on track to pitch a second time Saturday against the Rays.

Morton's scheduled start for Sunday's game against the Athletics was postponed due to rain.

A make-up date for the game has yet to be announced. The Astros are back on the schedule Monday against the Angels, and though manager A.J. Hinch hasn't revealed his rotation plans for the series, it's possible that Morton will just be pushed back a day, putting him in line for a two-start week.

Paxton (2-0) threw eight innings of shutout ball in Saturday's win over the Rangers, striking out nine while allowing two hits and one walk.

Paxton was terrific in this one, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning while displaying some electric stuff that kept the Rangers hitters off balance all night. He also threw 79 of his season-high 114 pitches for strikes while setting seasonal bests for innings pitched and strikeouts. The left-hander has been in dominant form to start the season in piling up 21 consecutive scoreless innings right out of the gate. He will look to further extend his streak Thursday against the Athletics.

McCullers (1-0) allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.1 innings Saturday against the Athletics.

McCullers put the Astros into a 5-0 hole, but the offense came up big after his departure to take him off the hook for a potential loss. Despite his rough outing, this was the first time in three starts that he failed to record a quality start, and as long as he's healthy he'll continue to be a strong fantasy option. He'll make his next start Wednesday against the Angels.

Kluber (1-1) allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out eight over 6.1 innings to earn the win Saturday against the Tigers.

Although Kluber had little success holding down the Tigers bats, he was spotted to an early seven-run lead, and at least his fantasy owners came away from this contest with a win. He's now allowed at least five runs in two of his three starts to begin the year, but there's no reason to think that the Indians ace won't be able to quickly settle into a groove and turn things around. He'll make his next start Wednesday against the Twins.

Sale (1-1) allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 12 across seven innings to earn the win Saturday against the Rays.

Sale has pitched well in each of his three games with the Red Sox, and the offense was finally able to scratch out enough run support to get him his first victory with his new team. Although it's based on a small sample size, his 1.25 ERA to go along with a 0.74 WHIP is making his slightly discounted draft value look like a fantastic bargain. He'll make his next start Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Verlander (1-1) was rocked in a losing effort Saturday against the Indians. He went four innings and gave up 11 hits and nine earned runs while striking out four.

After two good outings to start the season, Verlander had a stinker Saturday. He's still one of the better starters in the American League, and he should get back on track next Friday in Minnesota.

Quintana (0-3) allowed five runs on nine hits and five walks while striking out five over 5.2 innings in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Twins.

The silver lining was that Quintana settled down to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings after allowing all five runs in the first inning. The dark cloud surrounded by that silver lining is that Saturday's game was the second time in three outings that Quintana has been roughed up and leaves his season ERA at 6.75 over 17.1 innings. Over Quintana's career, other than the eighth inning, which is a small sample size, the first inning has statistically been his worst inning. He told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he slowed his tempo after the first-inning blowup and was pleased to regroup. His next start comes Friday against the Indians.

Odorizzi (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander exited Saturday's contest with hamstring tightness, and although an official diagnosis has not been disclosed, the issue is apparently bad enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Odorizzi will likely miss his next couple starts, so look for Erasmo Ramirez or Austin Pruitt to make some spot starts while he's sidelined.

Odorizzi left Saturday's game with left hamstring tightness, 620 WDAE's Steve Carney reports.

He seemed to grab his leg before exiting in the bottom of the second inning against the Red Sox, so this injury makes sense. Thankfully it is not an arm injury, but Odorizzi should still be considered questionable to make his next start. He gave up one hit in a scoreless first inning and was relieved by Erasmo Ramirez.