Featured Columnist IVMay 15, 2024
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco seemed to be well on his way to an impressive performance with three scoreless innings during Tuesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
And then his day came to a premature end.
Blanco was ejected from the game at the start of the fourth inning when umpires determined he had a foreign substance on his glove:
A’s on NBCS @NBCSAthletics
Ronel Blanco has been ejected from the game after a foreign substance was found on his glove. pic.twitter.com/cO2Tuev4iQ
Chandler Rome of The Athletic noted Blanco is facing a 10-game suspension following the ejection.
Houston turned to Tayler Scott to take the place of Blanco following the ejection.
This comes as Blanco appears well on his way to the best season of his career. He entered Tuesday’s game with a 4-0 record, 2.23 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 41 strikeouts in 44.1 innings across seven starts.
His most notable performance came in his first start of the season when he threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays in a 10-0 victory on April 1. He also allowed more than two earned runs in just one of his first seven starts.
It is a far cry from last season when the right-hander posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 17 appearances last season.
Blanco has been a bright spot for the Astros, who have struggled on the way to a 16-25 record. That has put them in fourth place in the American League West, and they will face an uphill battle to get back into postseason positioning.
And things will be even more difficult in the immediate future if Blanco is suspended for 10 games.
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