Ronel Blanco Deserves More Credit; Astros Win 5-1 Over Orioles

I could be exaggerating a bit too much here, but doesn’t it feel like Ronel Blanco is literally one of the few reasons why this 37-40 season hasn’t completely come off the rails at least yet? I’d say yes. For as much criticism as Dana Brown has absorbed since being hired in February 2023 — not all of it warranted — we should also give credit for him deciding that Blanco could stick as a starter. While the right-hander was intriguing in spots in past seasons, he was also entering his age-30 season with little Major League experience. So far, I think it is fair to say that Brown’s faith in Blanco has paid off quite well.

But how did Blanco fare against one of the best offenses in baseball? Pretty well as he held the Orioles to one run on four hits and three walks across seven innings as he also struck out four. 15 whiffs on 46 swings. It wasn’t the most dominant pitching performance I’ve ever seen, or Blanco has ever thrown, but it was plenty good enough. Thankfully, Blanco settled down a bit following that first inning in which he issued back-to-back walks to start the game. It also helps when Gunnar Henderson was thrown out on the basepaths before Adley Rutschman’s free pass. The biggest mistake for Blanco came about when Jordan Westburg hit his solo home run in the second inning to give Baltimore a quick 1-0 lead that would eventually evaporate.

In terms of the offense, the Astros only had four hitters collect a hit, but those players made sure those hits count. Yordan Alvarez, for example, hit a solo home run. Mauricio Dubón didn’t have a hit, but he did make his contact count with his sacrifice fly to left field to drive in the game’s first run. But the story of the day, other than Blanco, was Chas McCormick, who is now hopefully putting his slow start to the season firmly behind him. In case you weren’t aware, McCormick hammered two home runs on the day, bringing his season total up to three. For reference, his first home run occurred on June 15, so hopefully we’re starting to see McCormick bounce back.

Ultimately, it was a vital 5-1 win for the Astros, who are still climbing out of that early season hole they dug for themselves. Against the Orioles to boot. Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader did what everyone thought they would do entering the season, which was to shut down the other team’s lineup in the later innings. The lineup wasn’t noticeably as spectacular compared to Friday’s game, but it did just enough to create a bit more margin for error for Blanco and company. While Houston remains seven games behind the Mariners for the AL West, the club is only 4.5 games behind the Royals for the third and final Wild Card spot.