This tale is an excerpt from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here. Also, subscribe to receive it delivered to your inbox on a regular schedule. SEATTLE — While the Astros hope to reintroduce Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia to the rotation in the final two months of the season and are looking into trades to add a starter, the team is counting on young arms Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, and Jake Bloss, as well as veteran Framber Valdez, to carry the workload.
The Astros will have to keep an eye on Blanco, who was left off the American League All-Star team after a fantastic first half in which he went 9-4 with a 2.56 ERA in 18 starts and threw the season’s first no-hitter on April 1. The right-hander, who was switched to a starter from a reliever last spring at the request of general manager Dana Brown, tossed 109 innings before the All-Star break, a career high.
He’s been huge to this team — how reliable he’s been, the amount of innings, the big outs, how consistent he’s been, how our team feels when he’s on the mound,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “He’s starting to be one of those guys that you’re counting the days for him to be on the mound. You’re getting a good chance to win the game. He’s been one of our stars in this first half and we would not be in this position if it wasn’t for the job he’s done.”
The Astros chose to slot Blanco into the third spot in the rotation coming out of the break, meaning he’ll pitch Sunday’s series finale in Seattle. That will give him a full week of rest following his most recent start, which came Sunday against Texas.
