Baseball

Dominguez sat out Wednesday and will also use Thursday's scheduled team off day to rest his tight left quad. "I'm starting to figure certain things out at the plate, and I like to play," said the third baseman, "but it's better to take the two days off now than risking weeks when it's something that can be treated pretty easily."

Martinez now has two straight two-hit games, and he provided the game-winning homer off James Shields on Wednesday. The home run was his fourth and he now has 14 RBI in 28 games this year. The Astros don't have any reason not to bat him in the middle of the lineup if he continues to produce, but that's not worth much in a barren Houston offense.

After a rough start to the year, Veras has settled into Houston's ninth-inning role nicely, converting his last six save opportunities and turning in seven consecutive scoreless outings. He now has a 3.32 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 19 innings.

Lyles has made five starts in May, with Wednesday's being his best of the bunch. He struck out just three but limited the Royals to six hits in his six innings. Aside from one bad start in which he allowed eight runs in four innings, Lyles has been serviceable for the Astros thus far. His next start will be Tuesday against the Rockies.

Norris has left each of his last two starts with lower back spasms, but both times his removal was considered precautionary. He received massage treatment Wednesday and thinks "the prevention process of taking care of it now and getting me out of the game will help." Assuming he doesn't have a setback over the next few days, the righty will likely face the Rockies on Monday.

The Astros have a scheduled team off day on Thursday, so giving Dominguez the night off Wednesday affords him two full days of rest. The 23-year-old third baseman is batting just .245/.275/.371 in 43 games this season but he's one of the best defensive infielders in MLB.

Paredes' homer, a three-run shot, gave the Astros a lead in the fourth inning. He also added two singles on the night to bring his line to .268/.311/.439 through 14 games since being recalled. With the release of Rick Ankiel, it seems Paredes will continue to see plenty of playing time in the Houston outfield.