Blanco, Bullpen Help Houston Astros Stifle Guardians
Ronel Blanco wrapped up a stellar regular season for the Houston Astros, throwing five shutout innings, and the Astros’ bullpen held off the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 on Friday night. Victor Caratini and Zach Dezenzo hit back-to-back homers as the Astros are getting tuned up for their American League Wild Card series. That starts next Tuesday at Minute Maid Park.
But finishing the regular season strong will suit Houston quite well. What a way for Blanco to finish 13-6 for the season after picking up the win at Progressive Field. He kept Cleveland hitters guessing all night long. For Blanco, this game was like putting a bow on one whale of a season. He pitched a no-hitter in April and provided strength to the Astros’ starting pitching rotation.
Houston Astros Find A Way To Win
In five innings of work, Blanco only gave up a single. Blanco is undefeated in his last nine starts for the Houston Astros. Rookie Spencer Arrighetti, after 28 starts this season, came on for his first relief appearance in his career. Arrighetti befuddled Guardians hitters in the sixth and seventh innings but ran into trouble in the eighth.
He ended up walking the bases loaded. Astros manager Joe Espada came on to pull Arrighetti out with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. As Arrighetti was leaving the field, home plate umpire Mark Wegner ejected him. Arrighetti was quite vocal toward Wegner, whose issue was about the Astros pitcher spiking the resin bag on the mound. The Astros and Guardians played Friday night’s game either with rain showers or sprinkles.
Right-hander Bryan Abreu came on for the Houston Astros and bailed the team out of a bases-loaded jam. He struck out Kyle Manzardo and All-Star José Ramírez. Josh Hader went to the mound for the Astros in the ninth. He got touched up for a couple of runs, but Hader managed to get out of a jam, too. That sewed up another regular-season victory with two games left before postseason play.
The Astros didn’t mind getting those three pitchers some work on Friday night. Espada probably wanted to get Arrighetti, Abreu, and Hader some work ahead of the AL Wild Card series. Hopefully, he can keep them in the bullpen on Saturday and Sunday.
But Caratini managed to get a home run, adding to his impressive work this season. Dezenzo rejoined the Houston Astros from Triple-A Sugar Land.
Astros Are No. 3 Seed In AL Playoffs
Looking ahead to some postseason moments, the Houston Astros have the No. 3 seed in the American League. It means that they will host the AL Wild Card series next week. But this might not be the last time Houston and Cleveland play one another. Should the Astros win their series, then they face Cleveland starting on Oct. 5 in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
For Cleveland, they still have something to play for this weekend. The Guardians are looking to capture the top-seeded spot in the American League playoffs over the New York Yankees. If they can get the job done, then Cleveland can get home-field advantage all the way through the postseason. And that’s a pretty sweet deal to capture if you’re going up against the AL’s best teams.
The Houston Astros are still enjoying their AL West Division victory. They started off 7-19 in April and things didn’t look good. Hitting was off, pitching was fair, and nothing seemed to click. Espada, in his first year managing the team, came under some scrutiny for his moves and positive attitude.
But Houston turned it around in a big way, going 80-54 from that point. Espada also knows that Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt might keep his cards close to the vest when it comes to lineups and pitching matchups this weekend. “They’re trying to finish with the best record in the American League,” Espada said, The Associated Press reported. “Their style of play isn’t going to change because we’re here. They are a dynamic team. They put the ball in play. They use their speed. I don’t expect them to do anything different.”
While the Houston Astros wrap up the regular season in Cleveland, outfielder-designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is working to get healthy. Alvarez is out with a right knee sprain but put in some work on a treadmill on Friday. Espada said that Alvarez is “getting better quickly.” He hurt his knee when sliding into second base on Sunday. Alvarez must be able to hit, Espada said, before being considered for the wild-card roster, which is due on Tuesday.
“You can’t just go from what he’s doing now to the baseball field,” Espada said. “He’s a really, really good player but we need him to check some boxes.”
For now, Alvarez and fellow outfielder Chas McCormick, who also is missing the series in Cleveland, are looking to get healthy. If Alvarez cannot go, then it will definitely be a loss to the Astros’ offense. It will come down to Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Jason Heyward, and others to fill in the RBI category in clutch time for the Houston Astros.
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