Blanco sent down to refine pitches amid Astros' rotation uncertainty 

HOUSTON -- After not acquiring a starting pitcher at the Trade Deadline, Astros general manager Dana Brown said he was hoping the return of right-handers Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski from Tommy John surgery would fill a pair of voids in the Houston rotation.

That plan hasn’t gone as well as the Astros had hoped, with Blanco posting a 7.71 ERA in 23 1/3 innings in five games since he returned July 20. He was shipped to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday after giving up five runs and seven hits in four innings in relief Saturday (he started four games coming off the IL).

The Astros have struggled to get consistent starting pitching beyond Peter Lambert and Hunter Brown this year, with injuries and underperformance forcing them to use a Major League-high-tying 16 different starters. Houston starters entered Sunday with a 5.13 ERA, which was the 28th worst in the Major Leagues ahead of the A’s and Rockies.

The demotion of Blanco was two-fold: the Astros needed a fresh arm since he wouldn’t be available for several days, and manager Joe Espada said that Blanco was sent to Triple-A with some things to work on.

“I just think that we need to get him [better] sharpness of his pitches, and just be able to finish hitters,” he said. “He’s throwing strikes, maybe creating some [more] swing and miss. The curveball and slider could be better pitches for him, so we gave him a plan. He’s going to go down there and start some games and try to refine some of his pitches.”

Wesneski returned from TJ surgery on July 29 and had three solid starts (2-0, 3.86 ERA) before giving up five runs and seven innings in four innings in a start Saturday. Still, Wesneski was the victim of some bad luck and said postgame he had some of his best stuff from among his four outings.

“I thought the stuff was probably the best it’s been, especially with the changeup,” he said.

Espada had yet to name a starter for Tuesday or Wednesday against the Angels, but Lambert will start Thursday’s series finale. Two candidates to start the first two games against the Angels are Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai.

Javier hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9 at San Diego after being skipped last turn through the rotation. He has posted a 4.30 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in seven games (three starts) since returning from a shoulder sprain on July 4.

Imai was removed from the rotation after a disastrous outing July 27 in Anaheim in which he gave up four walks, two runs and one hit in two-thirds of an inning, marking the third time this year he couldn’t finish the first inning of a start. In two relief appearances since, he’s thrown six scoreless innings. Imai last pitched Wednesday.

If you’re wondering about right-handed pitching Ethan Pecko (No. 9), he was scheduled to start Saturday’s game for Sugar Land at Round Rock, but was scratched and didn’t pitch. Pecko (4-6, 4.57 ERA) hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9, so he could be a candidate to join the Astros' rotation at some point soon. Bryce Mayer (No. 8 prospect) threw six innings of one-run Saturday, so he wouldn’t be rested.

Meanwhile, right-hander Mike Burrows is hoping to be an option to rejoin the rotation down the stretch. On the injured list since early July with elbow neuritis, he threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his first rehab start Friday at Triple-A and is scheduled to start again for Sugar Land on Thursday.

“I think we were just identifying what I did well last year and trying to get back to some of those good movements that I had last year that can keep me feeling good throughout the year,” Burrows said. “It was really just harping on a couple of things posturally and [with] the release with some of the pitches.”

Burrows, who posted a 5.99 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) for the Astros this year, said Friday he had been dealing with elbow neuritis for six weeks prior to going on the injured list and was trying to manage it with antibiotics. He spent four weeks in West Palm Beach, Fla., resting and rehabbing and said the issue is resolved.

“It got to a point [where] some other stuff wasn't working to get me to a healthier point,” he said. “So it was time to just make sure everything was all right.”