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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Won't appeal 10-game suspension
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Blanco won't appeal his 10-game suspension, which will go into effect beginning with Wednesday's contest versus the Athletics, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Blanco received the 10-game ban earlier Wednesday after he was ejected in the fourth inning of his start in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over Oakland for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances. When he spoke to the media after the game, Blanco implied through an interpreter that he would appeal any suspension, but he's since accepted the banishment and won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. The Astros won't be able to replace Blanco on the 26-man roster and will have to get by with a shorthanded pitching staff for the time being, though Jose Urquidy could soon return from the 15-day injured list to provide reinforcement for the rotation.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Gets 10-game ban, appeal expected
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Blanco has been suspended 10 games violating the prohibitions on foreign substances, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. He's expected to appeal the suspension.
Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's against the Athletics prior to the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance. With MLB concurring with the umpires' assessment a day after investigating the matter, an automatic 10-game suspension was triggered for Blanco. The Astros haven't formally deactivated Blanco, so for now, the expectation is that he'll be able to pitch for Houston until the appeal process is completed.
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Astros' Jake Meyers: Taking seat
Meyers is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Athletics.
Joey Loperfido will get the call in center field while Meyers gets some rest. Meyers has had a productive May to this point, putting up an .823 OPS with a couple stolen bases.
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Astros' Jon Singleton: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Singleton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
Singleton has taken over as the Astros' regular first baseman since Jose Abreu's demotion, but he'll begin Wednesday's contest on the bench. Mauricio Dubon will fill in for Singleton at first base.
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Astros' Luis Rodriguez: Shipped to Houston
The Astros acquired Rodriguez from the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Corey Julks.
Rodriguez, 20, has yet to advance past rookie ball, having posted a 7.36 ERA over two appearances this season with the White Sox's Arizona Complex League affiliate. The right-hander amounts to a lottery ticket acquisition for Houston.
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Astros' Alex Bregman: Goes deep again Tuesday
Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Athletics.
Bregman entered the Oakland series with one homer on the year, but he's hit three long balls and added two doubles over his last two games. The third baseman has gone 10-for-24 (.417) during a six-game hitting streak, though he's still got a long way to go to get his season-long numbers at an acceptable level. Bregman is slashing .225/.293/.358 with four homers, 18 RBI, 12 runs scored, eight doubles and two stolen bases over 39 contests.
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Astros' Josh Hader: Collects win Tuesday
Hader (2-3) allowed a walk and struck out three over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the extra-inning win over the Athletics on Tuesday.
After starter Ronel Blanco was ejected for the alleged use of a foreign substance, this became a bit of a bullpen game for the Astros as they looked to protect a 1-0 lead. Ryan Pressly couldn't maintain the lead in the eighth inning, but Hader pitched well in the ninth and 10th, and he got the win after Victor Caratini delivered a walk-off hit as a pinch hitter. Hader's active 4.1-inning scoreless streak is his longest of the season. He's now at a 4.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 30:9 K:BB with five saves in six chances over 19 innings this season.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Ejected after substance check
Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Athletics ahead of the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The umpires confiscated Blanco's glove for further examination from Major League Baseball, and the 30-year-old righty will be hit with an automatic 10-game suspension if it's determined that he used an illegal substance while on the mound. Blanco has emerged as a crucial part of Houston's rotation this season, carrying a 2.23 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 41:20 K:BB across 44.1 innings through his first seven starts. He had fired three scoreless innings while striking out four batters and walking one before getting tossed from Tuesday's contest.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Playing outfield in rehab games
McCormick (hamstring) is scheduled to play in the outfield for the next two games with Double-A Corpus Christi, MLB.com reports.
McCormick served as the designated hitter with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday in his first rehab appearance, and he'll now progress to playing full games in the outfield. Assuming that goes well, there's a strong chance he'll be activated for the Astros' weekend series against Milwaukee.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Five-game hitting streak
Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk Monday against the Athletics.
Alvarez extended his hitting streak to five games with the performance, which was his fourth multi-hit performance in that span. He's also scored four runs and driven in another two during the sample. The strong stretch has also brought his batting average up to .264 across 180 plate appearances on the season, and that mark should continue to rise as the campaign progresses.
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Astros' Alex Bregman: Explodes for two homers, four RBI
Bregman went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a double, four total RBI, three total runs and a walk in a 9-2 victory against the Athletics on Monday.
Bregman came into Monday looking like a shell of his former power-hitting self with just one long ball through 159 plate appearances, but he brought back reminders of his 41-homer 2019 campaign with a pair of solo blasts in the victory. The third baseman capped the big performance with a two-run double in the eighth inning, giving him a season-high four RBI and his second three-hit effort of the campaign. Bregman could be in the midst of turning around what had previously looked like a tepid season, as he's on a five-game hitting streak during which he's gone 8-for-20 (.400 average) with four extra-base hits and six RBI.
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Astros' Spencer Arrighetti: Picks up first big-league victory
Arrighetti (1-4) earned the win over Oakland on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five innings.
Arrighetti opened with three scoreless frames before giving up a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Houston was ahead by just one run when the right-hander departed, but a strong performance by the team's bullpen and a late offensive surge ensured that the rookie held onto his first win as a major-leaguer. Arrighetti has managed to stick in the rotation despite posting a 7.52 ERA through six starts, so Monday's victory was a much-needed positive outing in terms of his chances of hanging on as a starter. Still, with Cristian Javier recently coming off the injured list and Jose Urquidy (forearm) potentially soon to follow, Arrighetti may not be long for the big-league rotation.
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Astros' Hunter Brown: Rejoining rotation this weekend
Astros manager Joe Espada said that Brown will make a start during the team's three-game home series versus the Brewers this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Espada didn't specify which day Brown will start, but Friday's series opener looks like the logical target for him to slot back into the rotation. Brown's spot in the rotation looked to be on thin ice after he supplied an 8.89 ERA and 2.20 WHIP over 27.1 innings in his first seven starts of the season, prompting the Astros to skip over his turn this past week. The right-hander was available out of the bullpen for the weekend series in Detroit and excelled in long relief behind Cristian Javier in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Tigers, tossing five innings of one-run ball while tying his season high with seven strikeouts. Houston will move to a six-man rotation this week to accommodate Brown, but he may still need a strong showing against Milwaukee to ensure he sticks in a starting role moving forward, especially with Jose Urquidy's (forearm) return from the injured list on the horizon.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Sitting after four-hit game
Dubon is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.
After rapping out a season-high four hits in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Tigers, Dubon will retreat to the bench as the Astros open a four-game set with the Athletics. Dubon had started in four of the past five games, but he's still seemingly viewed as a utility player for Houston and hasn't yet seized hold of an everyday spot in the lineup.
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Astros' Joey Loperfido: Heading to bench Monday
Loperfido is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics.
With a single and a double in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Tigers, Loperfido propped his on-base percentage up to .367 for the season, but the rookie still has yet to take full control of an everyday spot in the lineup. He'll hit the bench for the second time in four games while catcher Yainer Diaz gets a day off behind the plate and serves as Houston's designated hitter. Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez will pick up a start in left field, where Loperfido has seen most of his big-league action thus far.
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Astros' Jose Urquidy: Expects just one more rehab start
Urquidy (forearm) said Monday that his next rehab start on Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi should be his final one before he returns from the 15-day injured list, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Urquidy threw 48 pitches and allowed three runs over 2.2 innings in his first rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. He will get his pitch count up to 70 on Saturday, and if he fares well for Corpus Christi, Urquidy could slot back into Houston's six-man rotation as a potential replacement for either Hunter Brown or Spencer Arrighetti.
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Team Statistical Rankings
| Avg | R | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team |
.261 (2nd) |
189 (14th) |
49 (7th) |
4.78 (27th) |
Injuries
| Player | Injury |
|---|---|
| C. McCormick LF Chas McCormick LF | Hamstring |
| L. Garcia SP Luis Garcia SP | Elbow |
| J. Urquidy SP Jose Urquidy SP | Forearm |
| L. McCullers SP Lance McCullers SP | Forearm |
| O. Ortega RP Oliver Ortega RP | Elbow |
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