Blanco (10-6) allowed three hits and four walks while striking out three across five scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday against the Royals.
Blanco struggled with efficiency, needing 101 pitches to get 15 outs. He now has 13 walks across his last 24.1 innings pitched-spanning five starts. He's overcome his control issues to post a 3.33 ERA in that span, though he's failed to complete five innings twice while posting a 1.44 WHIP.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Falls short of quality start
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Blanco came away with a no-decision in Monday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Phillies, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander blanked Philly through four innings before giving up single runs in the fifth and sixth, and Blanco left the mound after 91 pitches (61 strikes) just short of his 13th quality start of the season. He's taken a big step back since the All-Star break, managing only one QS in seven trips to the mound while posting a 4.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 41:15 K:BB through 34.1 innings, and his career-high workload of 143.1 frames likely has something to do with that. Blanco will look for his first win since July 9 in his next outing, which lines up to come at home this weekend against the Royals.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Set to start Tuesday
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Blanco (finger) is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Red Sox, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The right-hander reported some finger soreness after being hit by a comebacker during his previous start Wednesday, but he'll be ready to make his next turn through the rotation Tuesday versus Boston. Blanco has pitched well in his first three starts of August with a 2.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB across 15 innings.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Hit by comebacker
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Blanco was removed from his start Wednesday against the Rays after getting hit in the left index finger by a comebacker, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Blanco reported soreness in his finger after getting hit in his left (non-throwing) hand by a 106-mph line drive off the bat of Brandon Lowe, prompting his removal after six shutout innings. Initial X-rays came back negative after the game, so it appears the 30-year-old righty managed to escape without a significant injury. He's lined up to start against Boston next week, though the Astros will likely keep an eye on his finger up until then.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Labors early in no-decision
Rotowire
Blanco did not factor into the decision in Friday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts over four innings.
Blanco surrendered a two-run double in the second inning and allowed another run to score on an errant pickoff attempt in the fourth. He was pulled at 88 pitches in his shortest appearance since being ejected after three innings May 14. The 30-year-old is winless in four outings since the All-Star break, yielding 12 earned runs across 19 innings while failing to log a quality start. On the season, he owns a 3.02 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 126:51 K:BB across 128 innings and will try to get back on track in a matchup with the Rays next week.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Decent in Saturday's loss
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Blanco (9-6) allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings, taking the loss versus the Rays on Saturday.
A two-run home run by Josh Lowe in the fifth inning was enough to saddle Blanco with the loss. While he's allowed exactly two runs in four of his last six starts, he has an unfortunate 1-3 record in that span. The 30-year-old continues to put together an impressive campaign with a 2.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 121:48 K:BB through 124 innings over 21 starts. His next outing is projected to be at Boston.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Fans nine in no-decision
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Blanco allowed four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Blanco gave up at least one run in three of the five frames in which he pitched, though the final two runs charged to his ledger came after he departed in the fifth inning. While the right-hander's final line was mostly unimpressive, he did manage to rack up a season-high nine punchouts while inducing 18 swinging strikes. Saturday marked the first time in 10 starts that Blanco failed to complete five innings, though he's now given up four runs in each of his past two appearances.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Takes loss against Mariners
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Blanco (9-5) took the loss Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 5.2 innings.
The right-hander gave up a two-run triple to Dylan Moore in the second inning and then surrendered a solo homer to Jorge Polanco in the fourth, with one more run getting charged to Blanco after he exited the game in the sixth. The Mariners produced some hard contact against Blanco, though he was still able to generate 19 whiffs on the afternoon. He has just one win over his last five starts and will look to change that over the weekend against the Dodgers. The 30-year-old owns a 2.75 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 105:43 K:BB in 114.2 innings.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Takes tough-luck loss
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Blanco (9-4) took the loss Sunday against the Rangers, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts across six innings.
All the damage against Blanco came in the first inning, when Josh Smith launched a two-run home run. However, the Astros managed to score only one run until the ninth inning, sticking Blanco with the loss despite logging a quality start. The 30-year-old has been outstanding this season, owning a 2.56 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP over 109.0 innings at the All-Star break. Before 2024, Blanco had a career 4.78 ERA in 58.1 innings and had primarily been utilized out of the bullpen, making him one of baseball's biggest breakouts so far.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Allows two homers in win
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Blanco (9-3) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven over seven innings to earn the win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
Blanco gave up multiple home runs for the second time in three starts, but he got away with it since both were solo shots. He's allowed more than two runs just once over his last six outings, turning in a quality start in four of them. The 30-year-old continues to enjoy a breakout season with a 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 95:40 K:BB across 103 innings through 17 starts. Blanco could make one more start before the All-Star break, a turn tentatively projected to be at home versus the Rangers on Sunday.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Settles for no-decision Wednesday
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Blanco allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Toronto on Wednesday.
Blanco fared fine after giving up six runs (three earned) in his previous outing, though fantasy managers in leagues that count quality starts will no doubt be disappointed that he was pulled one out shy. That hook may have also cost the right-hander a victory, as he had a one-run lead when he was relieved by Tayler Scott, who promptly gave up a single to allow the tying run to cross the plate. While Blanco has posted a modest 8.2 K/9 on the campaign, his overall numbers are strong -- he's recorded a 2.53 ERA and 1.01 WHIP across 96 frames.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Hit hard by Mets
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Blanco (8-3) took the loss Friday as the Astros were downed 7-2 by the Mets, surrendering six runs (three earned) on six hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
It was a tough night for the right-hander, who served up multiple long balls for the first time since May 3 and got tagged for three for the first time in his career. Despite his struggles keeping the ball in the park, Blanco nearly escaped with his fourth straight quality start due to an Alex Bregman error, but he fell one out short and got the hook after 98 pitches (65 strikes). Blanco will take a 2.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 84:37 K:BB through 90.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Toronto.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Strong again in win
Rotowire
Blanco (8-2) allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four over seven innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Saturday.
Blanco wasn't as dominant as he was with seven no-hit innings last weekend versus the Tigers, but it was still an impressive showing. He's allowed just two runs over 20 innings across his last three starts after giving up four runs in each of his two outings before this stretch of dominance. The right-hander continues to thrive in his first full year as a starter, pitching to a 2.34 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 79:35 K:BB through 84.2 innings over 14 starts. Blanco is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Mets.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Hurls seven no-hit innings
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Blanco (7-2) got the win Sunday vs the Tigers. He did not allow a run or a hit in seven innings while walking three and striking out eight.
Blanco flirted with his second no-hitter of the season, but his elevated pitch count forced him out of the game after seven frames, and the bullpen would give up a hit the next inning. The 30-year-old righty mowed through the Tigers lineup by registering eight strikeouts in another impressive showing. Blanco lowered his ERA to 2.43, and he became the eighth pitcher since 1900 to have multiple games of seven innings and zero hits allowed in single season.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Dominates Giants for sixth win
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Blanco (6-2) got the win over the Giants on Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.
Blanco matched his season high with eight strikeouts. His lone blemish on the night was allowing a solo home run to Brett Wisely in the third inning. It was an encouraging bounceback effort from the 30-year-old after allowing eight runs and combining to strike out eight over his prior two starts coming into Tuesday's game. Blanco now owns a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 67:28 K:BB in 70.2 innings and lines up for an enticing matchup against the White Sox early next week.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Suffers first loss
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Blanco (5-1) took the loss Friday against Minnesota, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out six.
Blanco faced 20 batters, marking a season low, not including his May 14 start against Oakland when he was ejected after three innings for a foreign substance. The Houston right-hander also yielded a season-high four runs, pushing his ERA up to 2.44 overall in 59 innings. Blanco is tentatively scheduled to make his next start against the Cardinals at home next week.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Returning from suspension Sunday
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Blanco (suspension) will be added to Houston's active roster Sunday and will start in the club's series finale in Oakland that day, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Astros unsurprisingly won't waste any time reinserting Blanco into the rotation upon the completion of his 10-game ban. The right-hander threw live batting practice Monday and shouldn't face any significant limitations in his first start back.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Blanco has been suspended 10 games violating the prohibitions on foreign substances, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. He's expected to appeal the suspension.
Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's against the Athletics prior to the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance. With MLB concurring with the umpires' assessment a day after investigating the matter, an automatic 10-game suspension was triggered for Blanco. The Astros haven't formally deactivated Blanco, so for now, the expectation is that he'll be able to pitch for Houston until the appeal process is completed.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Ejected after substance check
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Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Athletics ahead of the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The umpires confiscated Blanco's glove for further examination from Major League Baseball, and the 30-year-old righty will be hit with an automatic 10-game suspension if it's determined that he used an illegal substance while on the mound. Blanco has emerged as a crucial part of Houston's rotation this season, carrying a 2.23 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 41:20 K:BB across 44.1 innings through his first seven starts. He had fired three scoreless innings while striking out four batters and walking one before getting tossed from Tuesday's contest.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Improves to 4-0
Rotowire
Blanco (4-0) earned the win over the Yankees on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings.
Blanco was a bit shaky with his control, as he threw just 62 of 107 pitches for strikes and tied a season high with four free passes. However, he allowed just one extra-base hit -- an Anthony Volpe two-run homer that accounted for both runs against him. Blanco thus improved his perfect record to 4-0 on the season, and he's allowed three or fewer runs in all seven of his starts. He's also recorded five quality starts on the campaign, falling one out shy in each of his two outings during which he hasn't met that mark. Blanco has cemented his place in Houston's rotation with a 2.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 41:20 K:BB through 44.1 innings.
