Ronel Blanco only started 34 of 202 games in the minors, and was mostly an emergency starter in the majors. As his replacement, he pitched a no-hitter in his first start in 2024, becoming the only complete game in MLB this season.
Blanco’s ERA this season is 0.86. The Astros are 3-0 when he starts and 3-11 when he doesn’t start.
Garrett Crochet was a starter at Tennessee, but after being selected 11th overall in the 2020 draft, he went straight to the bullpen to help the White Sox reach the playoffs that year. He played in 72 games over four injury-plagued seasons as a reliever. This year, he returned to the rotation and led the majors in FanGraphs Wins Above Replacements after four starts.
In recent years, there have been constant questions in Boston about whether Cutter Crawford is a reliever or a starter due to durability issues, and Tanner Hawk and Garrett Whitlock due to the width of the lineup. They’re all starters this season, and after Crawford’s 5 2/3 shutout innings against Cleveland on Monday, the trio had a combined 0.92 ERA in 10 starts.
