Mark DeRosa shares fascinating prospective on Ronel Blanco's no-hitter for Astros

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Mark DeRosa shares fascinating prospective on Ronel Blanco's no-hitter for Astros
DeRosa was impressed with Blanco's game plan. Composite Getty, Wiki Commons Image.

Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco made history on Monday night tossing his first career no-hitter. Houston hammered the Blue Jays 10-0 securing the team's first win of the season.

But what really caught MLB Network's Mark DeRosa off guard, was how much Blanco used his changeup against Toronto. Blanco rarely used his changeup last season, but added the pitch this offseason to keep hitters off balance.

Blanco has mostly relied on just two pitches (fastball, slider) over the course of his career, making it a 50/50 proposition for hitters. And not only did he add the changeup to his arsenal, he threw it more than any other pitch on Monday.

Don't miss the video above for DeRosa's in-depth breakdown of Blanco's historic night.


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The Astros beat the Cubs, 2-0. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer and Framber Valdez tossed six shutout innings, and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Sunday.

Altuve’s 13th home run of the season broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. It was his first extra base hit in 34 at bats and the Astros' only extra base hit of the game.

Valdez (9-4) struck out six while allowing five hits and two walks.

Only one man reached third base against him. He exited with two on and nobody out in the seventh, but Bryan Abreu replaced him and retired Michael Busch, Vidal Bruján and Ian Happ to work out of trouble.

Abreu pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He struck out four of the six men he faced.

Josh Hader retired the side in order in the ninth inning to convert on his franchise record 23rd straight save opportunity to start the season.

Jameson Taillon (7-6) matched zeroes with Valdez until Altuve’s home run on his 107th and final pitch of his outing. He struck out four while giving up five hits and one walk over 4 2/3 innings.

The bullpen trio of Ryan Brasier, Ryan Pressly and Brad Keller held the Astros to two hits over 3 1/3 innings.

Key Moment

Altuve’s fifth inning, two-run homer to break the scoreless tie.

Key Stat

The Astros are unbeaten in their last 11 series, dating back to May 22, going 9-0-2 in that span.

Up Next

The Cubs open a three-game series against the Guardians on Tuesday with LHP Matthew Boyd (7-3 2.65 ERA) against RHP Gavin Williams (5-3 3.68 ERA).

The Astros open a three-game series at the Rockies on Tuesday with LHP Colton Gordon (3-1 3.98 ERA) against RHP Chase Dollander (2-8 6.06 EA).

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