ASTROS WALK IT OFF
Astros get win over A's after Blanco ejected early for foreign substance
May 14, 2024, 10:48 pm
ASTROS WALK IT OFF
Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Houston to a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night after the Astros lost their starting pitcher when Ronel Blanco was ejected following a foreign substance check.
The game was tied at 1 when pinch-runner Trey Cabbage replaced Jon Singleton as the automatic runner on second in the bottom of the 10th. Cabbage moved to third on a flyball by Jake Meyers before Caratini hit a grounder to center off Michael Kelly (2-1) to give the Astros their fifth win in six games.
Josh Hader (2-3) got the win by escaping a jam in the top of the 10th. With one out and runners on second and third, the veteran closer struck out pinch-hitter Esteury Ruiz before Brent Rooker grounded out to end the threat.
Oakland tied it at 1 in the eighth. Abraham Toro led off with a ground-rule double down the left-field line off Ryan Pressly. Toro moved to third on a groundout by JJ Bleday and scored on Rooker's single.
Houston had led 1-0 since Alex Bregman opened the second with a drive to left off JP Sears for his fourth homer. He also went deep twice Monday night.
Bregman doubled in the fourth to become the first player in franchise history with an extra-base hit in five straight at-bats. He became the first major leaguer to accomplish the feat since Yankees star Aaron Judge last season.
Bregman’s streak ended when he grounded out for the second out of the sixth.
Blanco was ejected by third base umpire Laz Diaz after a check of his glove before the start of the fourth. The umpires, Blanco and Houston manager Joe Espada stood at the mound for a couple of minutes discussing the issue before the right-hander was thrown out.
Blanco held out his hands and patted them together in front of the umpires while they inspected his glove before he was ejected, and he did the motion again after he was tossed. Blanco’s glove was confiscated.
Blanco, who threw a no-hitter in his season debut, allowed four hits and struck out one. He has a 2.09 ERA this season.
MLB began cracking down on foreign substances in June 2021, and Blanco likely will face a 10-game suspension for the infraction.
Sears allowed five hits in five innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: 2B Zack Gelof was reinstated from the injured list after missing 20 games with a strained left oblique. Gelof returned after making two rehabilitation appearances for Triple-A Las Vegas this weekend. Oakland optioned OF Lawrence Butler and LHP Easton Lucas to Las Vegas and recalled LHP Brady Basso from Double-A Midland.
Astros: OF Chas McCormick (right hamstring) resumed a rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi. He went 0 for 2 with an RBI in his second rehab game.
UP NEXT
Oakland RHP Aaron Brooks will make his season debut against LHP Framber Valdez (2-1, 3.64 ERA) when the series continues Wednesday night.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!