McCormick (hamstring) will make his second rehab appearance with Double-A Corpus Christi on Friday, MLB.com reports.
McCormick is nearing a return, as he played five innings in center field with Corpus Christi on Tuesday. However, he won't be back in the minor-league lineup again until Friday, meaning he won't be activated from the injured list until at least Saturday. McCormick has gone 2-for-7 in his first two appearances of the rehab stint.
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Astros' Seth Martinez: Earns first save
Rotowire
Martinez picked up the save in a win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two walks over two innings while striking out one.
Martinez entered the contest with a three-run lead in the top of the eighth and struck out the first batter on seven pitches before issuing a walk to JJ Bleday. The right-hander would quickly work his way through it, however, thanks to a double play ball in the following at-bat, before returning for the ninth. Despite also issuing a walk in the final frame, Martinez was able to wrap up the game with another scoreless inning to notch his first save of the season. It was a nice bounceback effort for the reliever, who had allowed three runs in his previous appearance on May 12 against the Tigers. Closer Josh Hader covered two innings Tuesday while Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero pitched two straight days, which opened up the save chance for Martinez.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Dominant over seven frames
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Valdez (3-1) picked up the win over Oakland on Wednesday, hurling seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits and two walks. He struck out eight.
Valdez breezed through Oakland's lineup throughout the contest, retiring 11 of the first 12 batters he faced while never allowing a runner to reach second, aside from when Shea Langeliers advanced due to a balk in the seventh. It marked the lefty's second start this season in which he didn't allow any runs, while the two hits allowed marked a season low. Valdez has now won three of his last four decisions (spanning four starts), posting a 21:5 K:BB over that stretch.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Blanco won't appeal his 10-game suspension, which will go into effect beginning with Wednesday's contest versus the Athletics, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Blanco received the 10-game ban earlier Wednesday after he was ejected in the fourth inning of his start in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over Oakland for violating the prohibitions on foreign substances. When he spoke to the media after the game, Blanco implied through an interpreter that he would appeal any suspension, but he's since accepted the banishment and won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. The Astros won't be able to replace Blanco on the 26-man roster and will have to get by with a shorthanded pitching staff for the time being, though Jose Urquidy could soon return from the 15-day injured list to provide reinforcement for the rotation.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that Blanco has been suspended 10 games violating the prohibitions on foreign substances, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. He's expected to appeal the suspension.
Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's against the Athletics prior to the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance. With MLB concurring with the umpires' assessment a day after investigating the matter, an automatic 10-game suspension was triggered for Blanco. The Astros haven't formally deactivated Blanco, so for now, the expectation is that he'll be able to pitch for Houston until the appeal process is completed.
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Astros' Jake Meyers: Taking seat
Rotowire
Meyers is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Athletics.
Joey Loperfido will get the call in center field while Meyers gets some rest. Meyers has had a productive May to this point, putting up an .823 OPS with a couple stolen bases.
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Astros' Jon Singleton: Not in Wednesday's lineup
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Singleton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
Singleton has taken over as the Astros' regular first baseman since Jose Abreu's demotion, but he'll begin Wednesday's contest on the bench. Mauricio Dubon will fill in for Singleton at first base.
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Astros' Luis Rodriguez: Shipped to Houston
Rotowire
The Astros acquired Rodriguez from the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Corey Julks.
Rodriguez, 20, has yet to advance past rookie ball, having posted a 7.36 ERA over two appearances this season with the White Sox's Arizona Complex League affiliate. The right-hander amounts to a lottery ticket acquisition for Houston.
Bregman went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Athletics.
Bregman entered the Oakland series with one homer on the year, but he's hit three long balls and added two doubles over his last two games. The third baseman has gone 10-for-24 (.417) during a six-game hitting streak, though he's still got a long way to go to get his season-long numbers at an acceptable level. Bregman is slashing .225/.293/.358 with four homers, 18 RBI, 12 runs scored, eight doubles and two stolen bases over 39 contests.
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Astros' Josh Hader: Collects win Tuesday
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Hader (2-3) allowed a walk and struck out three over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the extra-inning win over the Athletics on Tuesday.
After starter Ronel Blanco was ejected for the alleged use of a foreign substance, this became a bit of a bullpen game for the Astros as they looked to protect a 1-0 lead. Ryan Pressly couldn't maintain the lead in the eighth inning, but Hader pitched well in the ninth and 10th, and he got the win after Victor Caratini delivered a walk-off hit as a pinch hitter. Hader's active 4.1-inning scoreless streak is his longest of the season. He's now at a 4.74 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 30:9 K:BB with five saves in six chances over 19 innings this season.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Ejected after substance check
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Blanco was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Athletics ahead of the fourth inning after umpires examined his glove for a foreign substance, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The umpires confiscated Blanco's glove for further examination from Major League Baseball, and the 30-year-old righty will be hit with an automatic 10-game suspension if it's determined that he used an illegal substance while on the mound. Blanco has emerged as a crucial part of Houston's rotation this season, carrying a 2.23 ERA and 1.02 WHIP alongside a 41:20 K:BB across 44.1 innings through his first seven starts. He had fired three scoreless innings while striking out four batters and walking one before getting tossed from Tuesday's contest.
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Astros' Chas McCormick: Playing outfield in rehab games
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McCormick (hamstring) is scheduled to play in the outfield for the next two games with Double-A Corpus Christi, MLB.com reports.
McCormick served as the designated hitter with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday in his first rehab appearance, and he'll now progress to playing full games in the outfield. Assuming that goes well, there's a strong chance he'll be activated for the Astros' weekend series against Milwaukee.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Five-game hitting streak
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Alvarez went 2-for-3 with a walk Monday against the Athletics.
Alvarez extended his hitting streak to five games with the performance, which was his fourth multi-hit performance in that span. He's also scored four runs and driven in another two during the sample. The strong stretch has also brought his batting average up to .264 across 180 plate appearances on the season, and that mark should continue to rise as the campaign progresses.
Astros' Alex Bregman: Explodes for two homers, four RBI
Rotowire
Bregman went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a double, four total RBI, three total runs and a walk in a 9-2 victory against the Athletics on Monday.
Bregman came into Monday looking like a shell of his former power-hitting self with just one long ball through 159 plate appearances, but he brought back reminders of his 41-homer 2019 campaign with a pair of solo blasts in the victory. The third baseman capped the big performance with a two-run double in the eighth inning, giving him a season-high four RBI and his second three-hit effort of the campaign. Bregman could be in the midst of turning around what had previously looked like a tepid season, as he's on a five-game hitting streak during which he's gone 8-for-20 (.400 average) with four extra-base hits and six RBI.
