Friday night's series opener for the Astros and Padres might have been a victory for Houston, but the bullpen endured some serious wear and tear once again. Ronel Blanco is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and after his fourth start, he's still struggling to give the Astros length.
Houston hands the ball to Peter Lambert for the second game of the series, the perfect guy to follow up a tough night for the bullpen. Lambert has been able to give the Astros length and a solid performance all season.
A look at Blanco's performance last night:
Blanco was pulled after issuing a two-out walk in the fifth, finishing his outing having allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over 4.2 innings, per MLB. It's now three times in four starts this season he's failed to complete five innings, and his ERA sits at 6.98 with a 17-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Taking a look at the pitching breakdown from Friday night's game, per MLB:
- Ronel Blanco: Starter (4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO)
- Bennett Sousa: Reliever (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER)
- AJ Blubaugh: Reliever (0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 SO)
- Steven Okert: Reliever (1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 SO)
- Bryan Abreu: Reliever (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 SO, Win)
- Josh Hader: Reliever (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 SO, Save)
After that kind of workload, tonight's on Lambert.
A look at the matchup:
Peter Lambert RHP 8-5, 3.06 ERA, 108 SO
Michael King RHP 6-8, 3.45 ERA, 114 SO
He's been especially sharp lately, allowing two earned runs or fewer in five straight starts, per TheSpread, exactly the kind of length this bullpen needs right now.
King's been steady for San Diego too, but he's dealt with some control issues in his last few outings, walking four batters in two of his recent starts before a loss to Arizona on August 3, per TheSpread.
Houston enters this game 60-57 and in first place in the AL West, a real turnaround after sitting well under .500 earlier this season. If Lambert goes deep tonight the way he's been doing lately, that's a real sign this pitching staff can actually hold up down the stretch without help.
