Astros’ Ronel Blanco Tosses Seven Innings of One-Run Ball in Return From Foreign Substance Suspension
It was an impressive return to the mound for Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco, who made his first start Sunday after serving a 10-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s foreign substance policy.
Blanco held the Oakland Athletics to just one run over seven innings, allowing four hits – including Max Schuemann’s solo shot in the sixth – and a walk while striking out six. He earned the victory, his fifth of 2024, as part of a 5-2 win, lowering his ERA to 1.99 on the season.
The 30-year-old, who induced 17 whiffs on 54 swings (31%), completed at least seven innings for the first time since he no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1st, in his first start of the year.
Umpires ejected Blanco after three shutout innings in his last outing on May 14th, also against the A’s, upon discovering a sticky substance in his glove. He was suspended one day later and did not appeal MLB’s decision.
Unable to participate in game action, the veteran righty threw bullpen sessions and live batting practice in Houston while serving his penalty. Most believed that meant he’d operate on a pitch count, likely around 80-85 pitches, in his return.
However, manager Joe Espada stuck with Blanco – who needed 104 pitches to work through seven strong frames – because of how effective he looked his first time back.
“I really wasn’t focused on [the suspension],” Blanco told reporters post-game via team interpreter Jenloy Herrera, including MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. “I was mostly just focused on coming here and doing my job. Try and throw my pitches and try to help the team win.”
Despite the extended layoff, this outstanding run of success continued for Blanco, whose .172 OPP AVG ranks third-lowest among qualified major league starters, trailing only Ranger Suárez (.171) and Luis Gil (.141).
The Dominican native owns a 3.95 FIP and 13.5-percent strikeout-to-walk rate difference in nine starts this season, which, along with his 1.99 ERA, would set new career marks over a full campaign. He’s also been worth 0.7 fWAR, a career-high in his third big-league season.
Prior to 2024, Blanco bounced back and forth between the majors and Triple-A, posting a 4.78 ERA and 5.91 FIP with a -0.5 fWAR rating across 24 games (seven starts) over his first two big-league seasons from 2022-23.
Blanco’s emergence as an impact starting pitcher has been crucial for an Astros rotation that’s failed to stay healthy this season, as three key hurlers (José Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia) currently sit on the IL. Cristian Javier may soon join them after having Sunday’s bullpen session scratched due to forearm discomfort.
With Framber Valdez – who’ll start Monday – and Justin Verlander also missing time earlier in the calendar, Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti have been forced into prominent roles, only for both to prove ineffective.
Houston enters Monday’s opener versus the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners with the least valuable starting rotation in baseball per fWAR, thanks to its MLB-worst 1.5 rating – outlining part of the reason behind the club’s troubling 24-29 record.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
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