Astros place Matsui on disabled list

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The Houston Astros placed second baseman Kazuo Matsui on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a strained right hamstring.

Matsui, who was batting .271 in 57 games, sustained the injury during the sixth inning of the Astros 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

"He is DL'd officially," manager Cecil Cooper said on the Astros Web site (houston.astros.mlb.com). "It's at least a couple of weeks. We don't know (how long) yet."

Mark Loretta took Matsui's place at second base and will bat second on Tuesday against Texas.

(Writing by Steve Keating in Detroit; Editing by Ed Osmond)