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.