Astros' Collin McHugh: Builds pitch count Wednesday

McHugh allowed one run on two hits while striking out five over three innings in a minor league game Wednesday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis:

McHugh's on a tight schedule to be ready for the first rotation of the season. The right-hander's building his pitch count following a delay due to a dead arm period. He threw 41 pitches and will have another two opportunities to increase that. The prudent approach would be to have him begin the season on the 10-day disabled list and back-date the DL assignment. He would miss the first turn and be ready to go for the rotation's second turn.