HOUSTON – The Houston Astros will add a fresh arm to their tired bullpen on their upcoming road trip, recalling right-handed pitcher Ronel Blanco, a source tells KPRC 2.
Blanco is set to join the Astros in Detroit and would be available out of the bullpen. Blanco last pitched in Sugar Land on August 20, setting him up on four days rest, if needed, on Friday.
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This is Blanco’s fifth option, meaning if the Astros were to send him down again, he would be exposed to waivers.
Blanco has a 4.68 ERA in 16 games, with seven starts in MLB this season.
CHAS LEADS RUN VALUE
According to Baseball Savant, Chas McCormick is the best hitter in baseball. This comes with some caveats, as the stat he leads is fairly specific.
It’s called Run-Value and measures how much damage a hitter does against a certain pitch.
McCormick has the highest run value in baseball, at +22, vs. a fastball.
Kyle Tucker is 3rd at +19 (also vs. a fastball), and in between them is NL MVP candidate Freddie Freeman, who has held the lead for much of the season. Freeman is +21 (vs. a fastball).
McCormick is slugging .877 vs. fastballs this season, with 99 plate appearances ending in a fastball. Those are Barry Bonds numbers.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Astros go on a road trip to Detroit, then Boston before a much-needed day off.