How Ronel Blanco's breakout performance impacts Astros depth outlook, reinforcement needs
LOOKING AHEAD
02 April 2024
LOOKING AHEAD
Coming off a four-game sweep courtesy of the Yankees, the Houston Astros were looking to get back on track against the Blue Jays on Monday night.
And boy did they ever. The offense erupted for ten runs and Ronel Blanco tossed his first career no-hitter.
And on top of that, Yainer Diaz proved that the Astros don't need Martin Maldonado to handle the pitching staff and catch no-hitters. He's perfectly capable of doing that himself.
Plus, Diaz blasted two home runs along with Kyle Tucker, which allowed the Astros to take a commanding lead. And without a big lead late in the game, manager Joe Espada may not have allowed Blanco to stay in the game for nine innings. But with a 10 run lead and a pitch count that wasn't out of hand, Espada was able to roll the dice on Blanco to finish the job.
Just another perfect example of when the Astros are down, get ready, because something epic is about to happen. Champions don't stay down for long. Throwing no-hitters to galvanize the team is starting to be a trend for the 'Stros. Cristian Javier's combined no-hit performance in Game 4 of the World Series is another example. The Astros were down two games to one, and Javier helped evened the series with a masterful performance. The Astros won the next two games, and the rest is World Series history.
Help is on the way
In the second part of the video, we discuss some potential reinforcements that Astros can turn to as the season progresses. Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy are working their way back from injury, and JV pitched a three inning simulated game that went well. His next stop could be Corpus Cristy or Sugar Land to make some rehab starts in the minors.
Urquidy is at least playing catch and not shut down from throwing, so hopefully he won't be too far behind Verlander. And with all the starters looking good outside of Framber Valdez, Houston should be able to hold down the fort until Verlander and Urquidy return.
Plus, if the club does need another arm to supplement the bullpen or rotation, Spencer Arrighetti is available to be promoted from Sugar Land.
One to watch
If there's one player that should cause some concern for the team, however, it has to be Jose Abreu. He may have gotten his first hit of the season on Monday night, but he looks outmatched in almost every at-bat.
Jon Singleton doesn't look like the answer at first base either, so Joey Loperfido could get an opportunity sooner rather than later if Abreu continues to struggle.
Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss expectations from Blanco moving forward, Jeremy Pena's power surge, Tucker and Diaz looking the part, and much more!
Isaac Paredes hit a solo homer and Jose Altuve doubled twice and had two RBIs to lead the Houston Astros over the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Thursday night.
ISAAC DOING ISAAC THINGS.#VoteParedes ⭐️ https://t.co/W06pfHRkGz pic.twitter.com/zMZ8lnoU1j
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 13, 2025
Houston led 4-2 entering the ninth before Mike Tauchman homered to right field off closer Josh Hader to get Chicago within 4-3. There were two outs when Miguel Vargas narrowly missed a homer on a double off the wall in left field.
But Hader struck out Austin Slater to improve to 18 of 18 on save opportunities this season.
Paredes appeared to injure his leg trying to beat out a double play in the seventh inning and was replaced at third base in the eighth. Manager Joe Espada said he had an unspecified injury to his left hamstring but that they don't believe that it's serious. He added that they'd have more information on Friday.
The Astros led by one with one out in the fifth when Paredes connected on his shot to left-center off Davis Martin (2-7) to make it 4-2. Martin yielded seven hits and four runs with five strikeouts in six innings.
Houston starter Framber Valdez (7-4) allowed seven hits and two runs with a season-high 12 strikeouts in five innings.
Edgar Quero had three hits and two RBIs and Vargas had two doubles and a triple for the White Sox, who fell to 7-28 on the road.
Altuve, who is primarily playing left field this season after spending his first 14 seasons at second base, made a leaping grab near the wall in left field in the seventh to rob Chase Meidroth of extra bases.
Hader's strikeout of Slater to end it.
Hader has the most saves without a blown save in the majors this season and his streak is the second longest in franchise history to start a season behind a 21-game streak by Dave Smith in 1989.
The White Sox open a three-game series at Texas and the Astros play the opener of a three-game series against Minnesota on Friday.