Brown did not factor into the decision Thursday against Cincinnati, allowing four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Brown kept the Reds off the board over six innings Thursday and came away with his third straight no-decision in a quality start. After having an 8.89 ERA through seven starts this season, Brown was asked to pitch in relief and pitched well enough that he was given another chance in the rotation, and he hasn't looked back since. Including that relief outing May 11, Brown has a 2.25 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in his last 125.2 innings.
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Astros' Ronel Blanco: Turn in rotation skipped
Rotowire
The Astros are skipping Blanco's next turn in the rotation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Blanco had been on turn to start Sunday against the Diamondbacks, but Justin Verlander will move up to take the ball on regular rest that day instead. Houston has an upcoming stretch of 16 games without an off day later this month, and they plan to return Blanco to the rotation sometime during that stretch. However, it's anticipated the righty will eventually move to the bullpen on a permanent basis prior to the postseason.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Hoping to be activated Friday
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that the hope is Tucker (shin) will be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Tucker is with the team in Cincinnati and has been going through pregame workouts. The Astros are gauging how he bounces back from those workouts before determining whether he's ready to return to the active roster. Barring a surprise, it sounds like Tucker should finally be back this weekend. He's been shelved since early June with a right shin fracture.
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Astros' Alex Bregman: Doubles in return
Rotowire
Bregman went 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored Wednesday against the Reds.
Bregman returned from a four-game absence with a lingering elbow injury. He led off the second inning with a double and came around to score. Bregman was ultimately pulled in the fifth inning with the Astros down 10-1.
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Astros' Forrest Whitley: Heads back to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Whitley to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Whitley allowed two unearned runs while striking out five over 2.2 innings in a couple appearances this week. He threw 48 pitches in Wednesday's blowout loss to the Reds, so the Astros will swap him out for a fresh arm.
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Astros' Cesar Salazar: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned Salazar to Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Salazar was recalled when rosters expanded to serve as the Astros' third catcher, but he's being sent back out for now. He struck out in his lone plate appearance during his brief stint in the majors.
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Astros' Zach Dezenzo: Knocks in two
Rotowire
Dezenzo went 1-for-4 with two RBI on Wednesday against the Reds.
Dezenzo drew only his second start against a right-handed pitcher in the team's last seven games. Despite coming through with a two-RBI single in the sixth inning, he's struggled through his first 55 plate appearances in the majors, striking out at a 32.7 percent clip while hitting only .212.
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Astros' Nick Hernandez: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Astros recalled Hernandez from Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Hernandez has allowed six runs with a 7:1 K:BB over six relief innings during his time with the Astros this season. He'll provide a fresh arm out of the bullpen after starter Spencer Arrighetti failed to get out of the first inning in Wednesday's game.
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Astros' Jake Meyers: Back from paternity leave
Rotowire
The Astros activated Meyers from the paternity list Thursday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Meyers missed the previous three games while welcoming a new addition to the family. While on the active roster, Meyers will not be with the Astros for their series finale in Cincinnati on Thursday. He will rejoin them when they return home Friday.
Arrighetti (7-12) took the loss Wednesday against Cincinnati, allowing nine runs on six hits and three walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.
After pitching to a 1.95 ERA with 47 strikeouts across five starts (32.1 innings) in August, Arrighetti got off to a brutal start in September, allowing a season-high nine runs while failing to make it out of the first inning. The rookie right-hander's ERA shot up to 5.26 with a 1.44 WHIP and 151:60 K:BB through 125 innings this season. Arrighetti will look to put Wednesday's effort behind him in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week at home against the A's.
Astros manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that it's "unlikely" Tucker (shin) will be activated from the 60-day injured list Thursday, though the skipper didn't fully rule it out as a possibility, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
GM Dana Brown indicated over the weekend that Tucker could be back from the injured list at some point this week, and Tucker continues to be evaluated day-by-day. The 27-year-old hasn't seen game action since early June with what was initially labeled a bone bruise, but the injury was recently revealed to have been a shin fracture.
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Astros' Jon Singleton: On bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Singleton is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Singleton started the previous two games but will sit Wednesday while in the midst of a 4-for-26 slump. Zach Dezenzo is manning first base and batting eighth versus Cincinnati righty Nick Martinez.
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Astros' Jason Heyward: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Heyward is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Cincinnati, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Heyward started the first two games after being signed by the Astros but has been in the lineup just once across the last four contests, with two of those coming against righties. The hot-hitting Ben Gamel is in right field Wednesday and looks to currently be higher in the pecking order than Heyward, although both players are likely to see their playing time cut when Kyle Tucker (shin) returns.
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Astros' Alex Bregman: Back in Houston lineup
Rotowire
Bregman (elbow) will start at third base and bat cleanup in Wednesday's game versus the Reds, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
A nagging right elbow issue had caused Bregman to miss the previous four games and nine contests in total since mid-August. He's feeling well enough to give it a go Wednesday, and it's a good sign that he's playing third base rather than being used at designated hitter.
