Houston Astros turn to Double-A standout with Verlander sidelined
ASTROS NEWS
20 June 2024
Jake Bloss will start for the Astros on Friday. Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images.
The Houston Astros plan to call up right-hander Jake Bloss from Double-A Corpus Christi to make his major league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday and fill a hole in their injury-depleted rotation.
Bloss, a third-round draft pick out of Georgetown in 2023, has a 1.74 ERA over 12 starts in Class A and Double-A. The 22-year-old right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA in eight outings for Corpus Christi. He has never pitched in Triple-A.
Jake Bloss has been the biggest riser in my Astros rankings this season, he is going to jump into the top 5 in the forthcoming update.
Bloss sits 94.6 mph @ 18 IVB ~ 4.5 HB on his fastball from a 5”9 release (6-7 ft of ext).
Mixing cutter at 88-90 mph, sweeper at 81-83 mph w/… https://t.co/gaJuTqrHnD
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) June 20, 2024
Houston has been hit hard by injuries, particularly to its pitchers.
Ace Justin Verlander went on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday to give him more time to resolve his lingering neck discomfort. Cristian Javier and José Urquidy each had Tommy John surgery this month. Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia could return after the All-Star break after missing the start of the season as part of the recovery process from major operations.
Jalen Green scores 35 points to lead Rockets past Timberwolves 121-115
Feb 22, 2025, 11:56 am
Jalen Green scored 35 points, Alperen Sengun added 24 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 121-115 on Friday night.
Green finished 12 of 24 from the floor and was 5 of 11 on 3-pointers. Amen Thompson finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Houston, which shot 50%, including 13 of 26 on 3-pointers.
Jabari Smith Jr had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench in his first game back after missing 22 games with a broken bone in his left hand.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points on 13-of-32 shooting, including 4 of 14 on 3-pointers. Edwards scored 25 points in the first half on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.
Naz Reid had 22 points and eight rebounds, Jaden McDaniels added 21 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 16 points for Minnesota, which shot 45%, including 11 of 39 on 3-pointers.
Takeaways
Timberwolves: Mike Conley returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained right index finger, but he was in foul trouble for most of the night and finished with five points in 24 minutes.
Rockets: One area that coach Ime Udoka pointed to before the game where Smith’s return would help was rebounding. Houston outrebounded the Timberwolves 48-35.
Key moment
Tied at 108, Green made a 3-pointer with five minutes remaining to kickstart Houston’s 9-2 run to open up a seven-point lead with 48 seconds left.
Key stat
Edwards was 1 for 6 in the fourth quarter, including 1 of 4 on 3-pointers. He scored 3 points in the quarter as Houston sent double teams at him.
Up next
Minnesota hosts Oklahoma City on Sunday night, while Houston travels to Utah on Saturday night.
