Ronel Blanco Ends Four Game Skid in a Performance for History. No-Hits Blue Jays 10-0

Allowed only two walks behind five homers

Ronel Blanco. Where have you been all our lives?

We thought you were the desperation, last-man-standing who only pitched when every other arm on the team had fallen off.

A career minor leaguer who barely exceeded major league rookie limits last year at age 29, he only found himself in the early season rotation because four other ostensible starters were injured. This was just his eighth career major league start.

His bugaboo had always been command. And maybe a lack of velocity. Or limited pitch selection. Or unimpressive pitch movement. In other words, someone who no one would have ever predicted could possibly throw a no-hitter.

He made a good Blue Jays team look stupid. They never really came close to getting a hit. According to Statcast, not one Jays ball in play had as much as a 50% chance of being a hit.

Blanco only walked two: George Springer to start the game and George Springer in the second-to-last at bat. He threw 73 out of 105 pitches for strikes. There were 20 swinging strikes. He struck out seven, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Justin Turner, and Daulton Varsho, in the fourth inning.

His game score was a near-perfect 92.

What’s the difference? It looks like Blanco has perfected a beautiful change-up, which he threw 34% of the time. It has an average vertical drop of 33 inches and at 85 MPH, was eight MPH less than the fastball. This is what made the Jays look stupid.

Four-game losing streak?

What’s that?

Those who thought the Astros would never win a game: you’re wrong. I hope everyone feels better now.

But Blanco isn’t the only story.

How about ten runs on five homers. If only a couple of those dingers could have happened Sunday. Oh well.

It started right away. On the first pitch against Bowden Francis, Jose Altuve singled off the wall in left field. Two hitters later, Kyle Tucker homered him home 379 feet into the Crawford Boxes.

But the barrage had just begun. Two hitters after that, Yainer Diaz hit one 435 feet over the train tracks in left center.

The Astros added another run in the second on a Jeremy Pena solo homer, his first since midseason last year.

They added another run in the fourth when Jake Meyers hit in his. outfield mate Chas McCormick, who doubled earlier.

The Astros added two more in the seventh on a two-run Pena single, scoring McCormick and Jose Abreu, who had his first hit of the season (Hallelujah)

And the Astros topped off the scoring in the seventh on two more homers, one each by Tucker and Diaz, who both had two for the game.

Despite being 1-4 for the season, there is a lot to be optimistic about. So far, the starting pitching looks very good. In these five games, important offensive cogs like Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Jose Abreu have been very quiet. For the latter two, slow starts are a career pattern. They won’t stay quiet.

Jeremy Pena’s new approach is working brilliantly. He has a 1.167 OPS and finally got off the homerless shneid.

Yainer Diaz has quieted the critics who said his hitting last year was a fluke and that he couldn’t handle pitchers. Martin who? Diaz is hitting .444 with a 1.278 OPS and two homers. Two homers hit on the night he caught a no-hitter. Wow.

And two pretty good arms are returning soon: Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy. But we have a problem. Who’s gonna be bumped from the rotation to help the beleaguered bullpen.

Can’t wait to see Valdez get back on track tomorrow.

Final notes: What a way for Joe Espada to get his first managerial win. And congratulations to Blanco for the recent birth of his second child.

Game time 7:10

Box Score HERE.