All of the runs came in the fifth, which opened with a bunt single, another single and then a homer. Although he generated 11 missed swings today, Blanco struck out only one batter. He still hasn’t lasted more than five innings in any of his starts, and he’s 1-2 with a 6.48 ERA after the loss today. He’s set to face the Blue Jays next.

This was Blanco’s best start of the season results wise by far, but he still faced some of the same challenges that have caused him to start slow. The Angels had plenty of traffic on the bases as Blanco struggled to spot his slider against this right-handed heavy lineup. However, he worked his curveball well as a pitch he could consistently throw in the zone and stole seven called strikes with it and then mixed his pitches well when ahead in the count to set down what was a red-hot Angels lineup. This was a huge step in the right direction and he’ll look to build on it in his next scheduled start against the Cardinals.

Blanco allowed five hits and walked three before exiting with the bases loaded in the second. Fortunately, Luis Contreras got Willi Castro to fly out, preventing Blanco’s ERA from sustaining more damage. Blanco is only a streaming option in shallow leagues, and he’s not worth using in a home start versus the Angels next weekend.