CLEVELAND (AP) — Ronel Blanco pitched five scoreless innings and combined a three-hitter with three relievers to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night in a battle of division winners who could meet again this time Late season.

Blanco (13-6) allowed just one hit in five innings and remained undefeated in his last nine starts. He was replaced by rookie Spencer Arrighetti, who made his first career appearance as a substitute after 28 starts.

Arrighetti was good for two innings but walked the bases in the eighth inning. When he was lifted, the right-hander was ejected by plate umpire Mark Wegner, who didn’t like that he speared the pitch bag onto the mound.

Bryan Abreu came in and got the Astros out of trouble, striking out rookie Kyle Manzardo and All-Star José Ramírez.

The Guardians managed just one hit through eight innings and scored two runs in the ninth inning off Josh Hader to end the game.

Victor Caratini and rookie Zach Dezenzo hit back-to-back home runs for the AL West champion Astros, who are a No. 3 seed in the playoffs and will host a wild-card series next week.

If they advance, the Astros will play in the first game of the ALDS on October 5th in Cleveland.

The Guardians are still chasing the New York Yankees for first place and home field advantage in the playoffs.

After a 7-19 record in April, Houston turned things around with a score of 80-54 – the second-best record in the majors during that period.

Blanco, who threw a no-hitter in his first start of the season, flirted with another before Will Brennan singled to center with two outs in the fifth.

It’s unlikely Blanco would have gone the distance if there had been light rain and the Astros were already making plans for the wild card. Only five pitchers have thrown two no-hitters in the same season, the last being Max Scherzer in 2015.

After Caratini hit a hot shot to right, Dezenzo, recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land earlier in the day and striking out his first two hits, fired a 1-2 pitch over the wall in center.

LEAVE BEHIND?

The Astros hope to travel to Cleveland again in 2024.

Although it’s possible the teams could face off in the ALDS next weekend, Houston manager Joe Espada didn’t expect Guardians captain Stephen Vogt to change anything to avoid giving any clues about postseason strategy.

“They’re trying to finish with the best record in the American League,” he said. “Their style of play won’t change because we’re here. They are a dynamic team. They put the ball in play. They use their speed. I don’t expect them to do anything differently.

TRAINER ROOM

Astros: LF Yordan Alvarez (knee sprain) ran on a treadmill in Houston and Espada said the slugger is “getting better quickly.” Alvarez slipped to second place with an injury on Sunday. Espada said Alvarez needs to be able to hit before being considered for Tuesday’s wild card list. “You can’t just transition from what he’s doing now to the baseball field,” Espada said. “He’s a really, really good player, but we need to check some things from him.”

Guardians: RHP Alex Cobb (finger blister) had a productive bullpen session on Thursday as he continues his progress from an injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. Vogt was vague about what’s next for Cobb, who has started just three times since being acquired in a trade.

NEXT

Guardians RHP Ben Lively (13-9, 3.80) starts against Justin Verlander (4-6, 5.55), who will face Cleveland for the 57th time in his career.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB