Ronel Blanco hopes to blank the Giants
If there is any pattern emerging in this very early part of this Astros season, it is that success will depend upon pitching. The Astros held the potent Mets offense to five runs in three games, but only scored six runs themselves against a not-too-stellar rotation.
If Astros success really is dependent on pitching then the Astros rotation needs to be more than three deep. That’s where tonight’s starter, Ronel Blanco comes in. Last year, he was among the league leaders in ERA, but peripheral stats were less generous. If he can hold regression to a minimum, the rotation will probably be at least four deep in quality starters.
Blanco’s Spring performance was not encouraging. He gave up nearly a run per inning. But this is the season, and hopefully tonight he picks up where he left off last year.
It’s game four of the season and a fresh series with the San Francisco Giants.
Here are the lineups and media access information.
