Offense stifled despite early ejection of Blanco
HOUSTON — Victor Caratini hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Houston to a 2-1 win over the Oakland A’s on Tuesday night after the Astros lost their starting pitcher when Ronel Blanco was ejected following a foreign substance check.
The game was tied at 1 when pinch-runner Trey Cabbage replaced Jon Singleton as the automatic runner on second in the 10th. Cabbage moved to third on a flyball by Jake Meyers before Caratini hit a grounder to center off Michael Kelly (2-1) to give the Astros their fifth win in six games.
“The bullpen did a great job,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “That was a big win. We didn’t want to get Blanco out of the game in that way, but the bullpen came in and did a tremendous job and that was a big team win.”
Josh Hader (2-3) got the win by escaping a jam in the top of the 10th. With one out and runners on second and third, the veteran closer struck out pinch-hitter Esteury Ruiz before Brent Rooker grounded out to end the threat.
Oakland tied it at 1 in the eighth. Abraham Toro led off with a ground-rule double down the left-field line off Ryan Pressly. Toro moved to third on a groundout by JJ Bleday and scored on Rooker’s single.
Houston had led 1-0 since Alex Bregman opened the second with a drive to left off JP Sears for his fourth homer. He also went deep twice Monday night.
Blanco was ejected by third base umpire Laz Diaz after a check of his glove before the start of the fourth. The umpires, Blanco and Espada stood at the mound for a couple of minutes discussing the issue before the right-hander was thrown out.
Blanco held out his hands and patted them together in front of the umpires while they inspected his glove, and he did the motion again after he was tossed. Blanco’s glove was confiscated.
“I felt something inside the glove,” first base umpire Erich Bacchus said. “It was the stickiest stuff I’ve felt on a glove since we’ve been doing this for a few years now.”
After Bacchus discovered the substance, he called the rest of the crew in to confer.
“Everybody checked the glove to make sure we all had the same thing, and he had to get ejected
because he had a foreign substance on his glove,” Diaz said.
Blanco denied using an illegal substance.
“Just probably rosin I put on my left arm,” he said through a translator. “Maybe because of the sweat it got into the glove and that’s maybe what they found.”
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said he didn’t think Blanco’s early exit impacted his team.
“They used all their leverage guys,” he said. “(We got) to Pressly and got a run, (but) obviously our offense the last two nights hasn’t done a ton. These guys have pitched us really well.”
Blanco, who threw a no-hitter in his season debut, allowed four hits and struck out one. He has a 2.09 ERA this season.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Blanco received a 10-game suspension.
Wednesday’s transactions: The A’s selected right-hander Aaron Brooks from Triple-A Las Vegas and he was set to start Wednesday night’s game in Houston. Brooks, who spent parts of three seasons (2015, 201819) with Oakland, last pitched in the big leagues in 2022 with the Cardinals.
Oakland also recalled lefty Hogan Harris from Vegas and put opening night starter Alex
Wood (1-3, 5.26 ERA) on the 15day injured list with left rotatorcuff tendinitis. In other transactions, the A’s optioned lefty Brady Basso to Vegas and moved infielder Darell Hernaiz (left ankle) to the 60-day IL.