Clock is ticking for Ronel Blanco to spare Astros from their most egregious oversight

So much focus from the Houston Astros fanbase this past offseason was centered around the losses of Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. The two former All-Stars were foundational pieces of Houston's World Series title runs, and given how poorly the Astros' bats have performed at the outset of the 2025 season, it sure would be nice to have them in the lineup right now.

There's reason to believe that Houston's lineup will eventually turn the corner. The same cannot be said, however, for the Astros starting rotation. Fans forget that both Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Verlander left via free agency this past winter, and with so many starters on the IL, there's increased pressure on pitchers like Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco to perform.

So far, Wesneski has held his own. In two starts, Wesneski has limited the damage. His latest start saw the right-hander go seven innings and allow just two runs while striking out five. Blanco, however, has struggled in both his starts. With two turns through the rotation, Blanco owns a startling 9.45 ERA and has walked six batters in 6 ⅔ innings of work.

Ronel Blanco has to turn things around soon or Astros' offseason failure to address pitching staff could bite them

Blanco will get a chance to get untracked on Friday night when Houston welcomes the Angels to Daikin Park. Blanco's last outing was done before the second inning came to a close. The 31-year-old made it just 1 ⅔ innings before being lifted. He managed to strike out three of the 13 batters he faced, but also walked three and allowed four runs on five hits. Thankfully Houston's bats rallied and helped lead the Astros to a 9-7 win over the Minnesota Twins.

But Blanco cannot continue to put up such a repulsive stat line. The right-hander is year removed from leading all Astros starters with a 2.80 ERA and coming in behind only Framber Valdez (15) with 13 wins. Houston was counting on Blanco to repeat his performance from last season.

Perhaps that's where Dana Brown and the Astros front office made a mistake. In 2023, Blanco was a hybrid starter, with 10 of his 17 appearances coming in relief. Walks were a problem that season, as evidenced by 12.4% walk rate and 4.85 walks per nine innings pitched. Blanco's 4.15 FIP was also nearly a run-and-a-half higher than his ERA, suggesting he was a bit more lucky than good in 2024.

With Spencer Arrighetti now out following a bizarre pre-game injury earlier this week, the Astros' starting depth is sure to be tested. Houston's failure to address the starting rotation may be the team's undoing in 2025, and Blanco is currently the poster child for the Astros' egregious oversight.

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