Houston Astros

Jimmy Paredes said pregame Wednesday he was fully confident he could play third base, filling in for an injured Matt Dominguez.

Paredes wasn't perfect in the field. But when he made mistakes, he covered for them, highlighted by a sidearmed bullet-like throw to first after bobbling a grounder.

"I don't know how hard he threw that ball across the diamond but I would love to put a clock on it, though," Porter said. "He almost mishandled it. But he got control of it and it was absolutely whistled across the diamond."

The 24-year-old Paredes has been given a chance to become the Astros' everyday right fielder. But he primarily played third and second base in the minors, and Paredes' defensive versatility is an asset for a club lacking a true backup at third.

"I'm taking (practice) ground balls. If the field's a good field, you know how it feels," said Paredes, who played right field and went 0-for-3 in Friday's 6-5 loss to the A's.

Record:

14-34

Streak:

Lost one

Past 10 Games:

4-6

NEXT: Athletics (A.J. Griffin, 4-3, 3.59) at Astros (Lucas Harrell, 3-5, 4.63)

Player Notes:

• 2B Jose Altuve snapped an 0-for-18 skid with his two-out, game-tying run-scoring single in the fifth inning. Altuve is batting .375 (21-for-56) with two outs this season. Altuve is 4-for-25 since his return from a three-game bereavement leave following the death of his grandmother.

• RHP Lucas Harrell, coming off a stellar road outing in Pittsburgh, will start the middle game of a three-game series against the Athletics. Harrell allowed one run on four hits and one walk over seven innings yet suffered a 1-0 loss to the Pirates on Sunday. That appearance marked the seventh time in 10 starts that Harrell has surrendered two or fewer runs, including six starts of just one earned run allowed. Harrell was shelled for eight runs in a 9-3 loss to Oakland on April 7.

• SS Ronny Cedeno made his first start since May 12, returning from a sinus infection that led to his being scratched from the lineup on May 19 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cedeno entered the night batting .464 (13-for-28) against left-handed pitchers and finished 1-for-3 with a run scored against Athletics LHP Tommy Milone.

• 3B Matt Dominguez hit his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning on Friday, with all five homers coming over his last 11 games. Dominguez did not homer over his first 33 games this season. He has 10 home runs in 75 career games with the Astros.

• LHP Erik Bedard allowed two runs on four hits and five walks with four strikeouts against the Athletics, marking the third time in his last three starts that he has held an opponent to two or less runs. Bedard has a 3.38 ERA over that span and a 3.05 ERA in five home appearances.

Quote To Note:

"It was damage control every inning it seemed like. I was throwing a lot of pitches, but I just tried to keep the team in the game."

—LHP Erik Bedard, who labored throughout his five-inning stint in Friday's 6-5 loss to Oakland, throwing 99 pitches with just 54 of those strikes.

Medical Watch:

• CF Justin Maxwell (broken left hand) went on the 15-day disabled list April 24. He saw a hand specialist April 25, and it was determined he would be out until late May or early June, but he won't need surgery. Maxwell began hitting off a tee May 20. He took 20 swings off hitting coach May 24 and is scheduled to begin his minor league rehab assignment May 29.

• RHP Bud Norris (lower back spasms) left the May 13 game while warming up for the sixth inning. He was still experiencing soreness on May 14. Norris was supposed to start May 19 but his start was bumped to May 21. He wound up pulled from that start with back tightness. He'll be re-evaluated.

• RHP Josh Fields (strained right forearm) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 4. He was rehabbing in Florida as of early May, but was sent on a Class A rehab assignment May 10.

• RHP Alex White (Tommy John surgery in April 2013) went on the 60-day disabled list March 30. He is out for the season.

Rotation:

RHP Bud Norris

RHP Lucas Harrell

LHP Erik Bedard

RHP Jordan Lyles

LHP Dallas Keuchel

Bullpen:

RHP Jose Veras (closer)

LHP Wesley Wright

RHP Hector Ambriz

RHP Paul Clemens

LHP Travis Blackley

RHP Jose Cisnero

RHP Edgar Gonzalez

Catchers:

Jason Castro

Carlos Corporan

Infielders:

1B Chris Carter

2B Jose Altuve

SS Ronny Cedeno

3B Matt Dominguez

DH Carlos Pena

INF Marwin Gonzalez

Outfielders:

LF J.D. Martinez

CF Robbie Grossman

RF Jimmy Paredes

OF Brandon Barnes

OF Trevor Crowe