HOUSTON — http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-austin-romine-jersey , Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch has worked the line between managing the workload of his starters while letting his veteran pitchers do what they’ve always done, which is take pride in their ability to make their turn in the rotation on schedule.As a result of optimal health, the Astros (97-57) feature three pitchers ranked in the top 10 in the majors in innings: right-hander Justin Verlander, who worked six strong in a 10-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday to run his season total to 208 innings; left-hander Dallas Keuchel (196 2/3 innings), and right-hander Gerrit Cole (194 1/3). Only four pitchers besides Verlander have worked 200 innings this season. The Astros could finish with three.“There’s something compelling for the starters to get to 200 innings,” Hinch said. “So while it seems like that’s fatigue there’s also a great accomplishment that comes with that. There’s great pride in those guys so they’re as strong as they’ve been the entire season.Article continues below ...“Certainly, I’d like to have that time off if we win the division quickly and be able to set it up properly Reggie Jackson Jersey , but I don’t have a lot of concern with those guys. Everybody else is pretty fine when it comes to inning totals, but I think everybody’s sightline has changed over the last five to 10 years to where there are so few guys that can last deep into games or that are allowed to last in games to get to the 200-inning mark. They look a little more like a unique pitcher than the norm.”Right-hander Charlie Morton (15-3, 3.15 ERA) will start the regular-season home finale for the Astros on Sunday. He is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA across two starts this month following a stint on the 10-day disabled list. Morton is five strikeouts shy of his first 200-strikeout season and nine innings from eclipsing his previous high of 171 2/3 pitched in 2011 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. With his 29th start, Morton will match the number he achieved with Pittsburgh seven years ago.Morton did not factor into the decision in his lone start against the Angels this season, allowing four runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in four innings of an 8-7 home loss on April 24. He is 3-0 with a 3.86 ERA against the Angels in six career starts.Left-hander Tyler Skaggs (8-8, 3.69 ERA) will start seeking to help the Angels snap their four-game skid. He is 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in nine career starts against the Astros http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-bernie-williams-jersey , including 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts in 2018. Skaggs’ four wins are his most against any opponent.Rookie designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit cleanup for a fourth consecutive game, the 11th time this month and 18th time overall this season for the Angels (75-80). Ohtani entered Saturday with an .860 OPS batting fourth behind MVP candidate Mike Trout and, after going 1-for-4, is hitting .266 with three homers and 10 RBIs occupying that spot in the order.“Right now, we’re going with him behind Mike and he’s fine,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Mike is getting pitched to and that’s important. And Shohei adjusted and hopefully we’re going to see guys on base or whatever Mike can create and that will help us to be productive.” Many Toronto Blue Jays fans聽and pundits have been critical for how the front office handled the Josh Donaldson saga, but they made an effort to retain the franchise player beyond 2018 before his surprising trade to the Cleveland Indians.According to a report from Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports C.C. Sabathia Jersey , it's believed the Blue Jays offered Donaldson "more than" the three-year, $75 million deal Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta got from the Philadelphia Phillies. Heyman said it's believed Toronto was "flexible to go at least a bit higher."Donaldson took the gamble and played out the one-year, $23 million deal he was awarded via arbitration. But an ongoing calf injury has limited him to 36 games in 2018, and he hasn't played a Major League game since May 28. Given his injuries and age (33 in December), Donaldson is unlikely to top the deal Toronto offered him.advertising Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY SportsThough Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins were widely criticized for not trading Donaldson during last winter, they probably dodged a bullet in not going over the reported three-year offer. Reports suggest they're getting minor league pitching prospect Julian Merryweather from the Cleveland.Toronto also has baseball's top prospect, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-randy-johnson-jersey , who's likely to turn professional next year. Guerrero is also a third baseman, so it wouldn't have made sense to sign Donaldson long-term, with the former on the verge of becoming the new franchise player.advertisingThe Blue Jays front office maintained before the 2018 season that they wanted to keep Donaldson and make a run for the playoffs. Had he stayed healthy throughout, they would have certainly gotten a better return package for him at the July non-waiver deadline. But everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Donaldson didn't stay healthy, the two sides didn't agree on a contract, and Toronto got hosed in the trade with Cleveland.But as we saw in the very slow free agent market last winter, teams are cautious about going beyond three years for players in their 30s Andy Pettitte Jersey , even if they're superstars. Donaldson may very well see that the Blue Jays aren't the only team refusing to go beyond three years when he enters free agency this winter.advertising