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• Astros' Ronel Blanco: Fine after early removal

  1D ago • By RotoWire

  Blanco was removed from his start Wednesday against the Mets after getting struck by a line drive in the fourth inning, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. Blanco didn't seem to be too shaken up following the incident, but he retreated to the clubhouse afterward and was replaced on the mound for the start of the fifth inning. He later said that the ball only grazed his wrist, per Rome, and the right-hander only left the game because he had reached his pitch count. The 31-year-old Blanco finished the day with three runs allowed in 3.2 innings, bringing his Grapefruit League ERA to 8.44.

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• Astros' Ronel Blanco: Focused on attacking zone

  11D ago • By RotoWire

  Blanco is prioritizing an attack of the strike zone this season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. Blanco had one of the biggest breakout performances in 2024, but he struggled to consistently find the strike zone, as his 10.1 percent walk rate in the regular season was the highest mark of any qualified starter. He escaped relatively unscathed thanks to a .187 BABIP with runners on base and .160 with runners in scoring position, both of which are unlikely to repeat in 2025. As a result, he plans to be less precise with his pitches in hopes of finding the strike zone more consistently.

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• Astros' Ronel Blanco: Rolls to 13th win

  09/28/2024 • By RotoWire

  Blanco (13-6) picked up the win Friday at Cleveland, pitching five scoreless innings while allowing one hit and two walks. He struck out three. The Houston right-hander took a 0.95 ERA over 19 September frames into this game, and Friday represented his third scoreless start of the month. Blanco yielded just one hit -- a Will Brennan single in the fifth inning -- as he stymied the Guardians over 86 pitches. The 31-year-old caps a brilliant breakout season in which he was a fantasy star, producing a 2.80 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 166:68 K:BB across 167.1 innings, including a no-hitter on April 1.

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• Astros' Ronel Blanco: Fans nine in comfortable victory

  09/22/2024 • By RotoWire

  Blanco (12-6) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over six innings. Blanco gave up a second-inning run that tied the score 1-1, but Houston put up six more runs by the end of the third to give the right-hander plenty of padding. He yielded just one more tally -- on a Logan O'Hoppe solo homer -- and notched his second straight quality start (and second consecutive victory). Blanco has emerged as a key part of the Astros' rotation with a 2.88 ERA (fifth among qualified pitchers), 1.10 WHIP and 163:66 K:BB over 162.1 innings, though it's possible he moves to the bullpen once the postseason begins.

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• Astros' Ronel Blanco: Excellent in return to rotation

  09/16/2024 • By RotoWire

  Blanco (11-6) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings to earn the win over the Angels on Sunday. Blanco struggled with a 4.98 ERA over 34.1 innings across seven appearances immediately after the All-Star break. He's since turned things around with a 13-inning scoreless streak over three outings (two starts) in September, though it likely helped that he had a turn through the rotation skipped last week. Overall, Blanco has a 2.88 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 154:64 K:BB through 156.1 innings this season. If the Astros stick with a six-man rotation this week, Blanco is lined up to face the Angels again, with that outing in Houston.

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