In the game thread today I asked two questions. Did Ronel Blanco have enough gas left in the tank of a long season to give us one more good start before the return of Justin Verlander. And second, could the Astros continue to generate enough runs to maintain their miracle comeback season with five members of the lineup who are basically replacement level.
Unfortunately, the answer to both questions tonight was no. If the answer to either had been yes, the Astros would have added to their extraordinary winning record of the past two weeks.
Clearly, Blanco struggled tonight, but fortunately, the Red Sox starter, Nick Pivetta, had his own problems.