Lucas Harrell allowed eight runs in 4 1/3 innings as the Astros lost to the Tigers on Saturday.

Harrell was generous with both hits and walks, allowing 10 and four, respectively. He also gave up a two-run home run to Miguel Cabrera. Harrell had allowed just five earned runs over his previous four outings heading into Saturday. He will take on the Rangers next.

Lucas Harrell pitched 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball Monday in a victory over the Yankees.

Harrell has won three straight and pitched well enough to prevail in five of his six starts; eight of the 14 runs he's allowed came in an April 7 lost. He's still in such a bad situation in Houston that we don't recommend him in AL-only leagues, but he's done a nice job so far.

Lucas Harrell held the Mariners to one run in seven innings Wednesday to win a second straight start.

Harrell has been effective in four of his five starts, but all he has to show for it is a 2-2 record, a 4.08 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He doesn't have much fantasy upside pitching on a team as poor as the Astros.

Lucas Harrell picked up his first victory of the 2013 season, limiting the Indians to two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings on Friday.

Harrell struck out four in the game. He struggled with his command for most of the night, issuing five free passes, but was able to work his way out of trouble for the most part. All of the damage against him came on a two-run homer off the bat of Lonnie Chisenhall in the fourth inning. Harrell will look to carry over the momentum from this strong outing when he takes on the Mariners at home on Wednesday.

Lucas Harrell went six innings and allowed just one run, but he took the loss against the Rangers on Tuesday.

Harrell was very good, but his start was completely overshadowed by the dominance of Rangers starter Yu Darvish. The 27-year-old right-hander won 11 games and posted a 3.76 ERA for the Astros in 2012, both impressive numbers given his surroundings. Unfortunately for Harrell, the Astros haven't gotten any better and his team moved to the American League, so he's not a strong option outside of AL-only leagues. But he's a player to keep an eye on going forward.

Lucas Harrell took his first loss of the spring after giving up two runs -- one earned -- in six innings Thursday against the Braves.

Harrell ends the spring with a 2.25 ERA and a 15/8 K/BB ratio in 24 innings. We doubt he'll find the AL West as much to his liking as the NL Central was when he went 11-11 with a 3.76 ERA last season. Still, he's emerged as one of the Astros' key cogs.

Lucas Harrell threw four innings of no-hit ball in the Astros 4-2 win over the Nationals Saturday.

Harrell, 27, was scratched from his last start with a groin injury but was stellar in his return, surrendering just two walks in his four innings. The righty was a pleasant surprise in 2012, registering a 3.76 ERA in 193 2/3 innings. The switch to the AL and the fact that the Astros likely won't win 70 games makes him a risky proposition in mixed leagues, but he's rosterable in AL-only formats.

MLB Network's Peter Gammons reports that the Cardinals are interested in trading for Lucas Harrell and Bud Norris.

Lucas Harrell (groin) will return to Grapefruit League action on Saturday.

Harrell hasn't made a start in over a week due to a groin issue, but he's feeling much better. "We were just cautious," he said. "It wasn't anything that we thought there was something serious. It's just something that was small and we wanted to make sure that I was right before we broke camp."

Lucas Harrell (groin) has been playing catch on flat ground and is likely to return to game action later this week.

Harrell hasn't pitched since suffering a minor groin strain a week ago. He'll be fine for Opening Day as long as he can avoid a setback.

Lucas Harrell has been scratched from Sunday's start due to a minor groin injury.

It sounds like he'll probably be ready to pitch sometime next week. Brad Peacock will get the start in Harrell's place.

Lucas Harrell tossed three shutout innings versus a Yankees split-squad on Thursday.

Harrell got the weaker split-squad, as the Yankees didn't send any stars to Bradenton for this one. Eduardo Nunez was probably the best hitter in the lineup, with Matt Diaz and Jayson Nix next in line. Harrell has a 3.60 ERA after two starts. He and Bud Norris are the two starters assured spots in Houston's rotation.

Lucas Harrell tossed six shutout innings Monday in a 3-0 win over the Cubs.

Harrell held the punchless Cubs to just two hits while striking out seven and walking just one. Thanks to the strong effort, he'll finish the season with an 11-11 record to go along with a surprising 3.76 ERA and 140/78 K/BB ratio over 193 2/3 innings. He should have a rotation spot locked up for 2013, but is unlikely to be more than a late-round flier in fantasy leagues, even if the Astros put an offense around him.

Lucas Harrell walked six over five innings but managed to limit the Cardinals to two runs in Tuesday's loss.

Harrell also surrendered seven hits, as the Cards stranded a ton of baserunners. He also struck out just one. The righty has managed to put up a 3.68 ERA in five starts this month, but he also has a 1.70 WHIP, so it's possible he could be wearing down. The Astros might not let Harrell make another start, as he's approaching 190 innings.

The Astros could shut Lucas Harrell down after Tuesday's start.

Harrell threw five innings Tuesday and is now at 187 2/3 frames for the year. The most he had previously thrown was 146, which came in 2009. He threw 144 2/3 last year. Fernando Rodriguez, who tossed 4 1/3 innings of emergency relief on Monday, is an option to fill in for him.

Lucas Harrell struggled in a no-decision against the Phillies on Thursday, surrendering four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Harrell walked five and struck out four on the evening. As he was leaving the mound, he was ejected from the game after jawing with the home plate umpire about the strike zone. It's unlikely to result in any sort of suspension, and shouldn't affect his availability moving forward. He'll take a 10-9 record and 3.86 ERA into Wednesday's match-up with the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Lucas Harrell turned in a quality start in a no-decision against the Reds on Friday, allowing three runs on seven hits over his six innings of work.

Harrell struck out five while walking four in the game. Ryan Ludwick did most of the damage with a two-run single in the first inning. He'll head into Wednesday's home start against the Cubs with a respectable 10-9 record, 3.83 ERA and 121/65 K/BB ratio over 171 1/3 innings.

Lucas Harrell pitched fairly well in Thursday's loss to the Nationals, allowing two runs on five hits over his five innings of work.

Harrell punched out five and walked two in the game. He's been extremely impressive over his last six starts, posting a 2.27 ERA and 31/18 K/BB ratio over 35 2/3 innings. The Astros have talked about limiting his innings on the season, but until he gets to that point he's well worth owning and deploying as a matchup play in most fantasy formats. He happens to draw such a favorable assignment on Wednesday when he takes on the Cubs in Chicago.

The Astros are considering putting Lucas Harrell on an innings limit.

Harrell is currently at 133 innings, and there's reportedly been in-depth discussions about limiting his workload. "We're definitely going to have to watch that moving forward," manager Brad Mills said. The Astros could use a six-man rotation when rosters expanded at the beginning of September, but seem doubtful to completely shutdown Harrell.

Lucas Harrell out-dueled Braves newcomer Paul Maholm on Saturday, allowing just two runs on four hits over six strong innings in an Astros victory.

Harrell struggled a bit with his command, walking five in the game, but he also recorded five strikeouts. Dan Uggla delivered a two-run single in the sixth inning to account for the scoring, tying the game at 2-2 at the time. Harrell, a 27-year-old right-hander, has pitched much better since the All-Star break, going 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA over five starts. He'll look to keep it going when he takes on the Nationals at home on Thursday.