Houston Astros to Promote Jake Bloss for Major-League Debut Against Baltimore Orioles

The Houston Astros are set to call up Double-A right-hander Jake Bloss for his major-league debut on Friday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles, as announced by manager Joe Espada on Thursday. This marks an aggressive promotion for Bloss, a third-round pick in last year's draft, who has made just eight starts this season at Corpus Christi.

"Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day," Espada said. "His stuff is really, really good. A strike-thrower, upper 90s, can spin the ball. All the things we hear about his makeup, he checks all the boxes. ... We expect him to go out there tomorrow and compete and do well."

Bloss, who turns 23 on Sunday, has been impressive in Double-A, posting a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA while holding hitters to a .127 batting average. Notably, he teamed up with reliever Cesar Gomez last week to achieve the first nine-inning no-hitter in Corpus Christi history. Earlier this season, Bloss pitched at High-A Asheville, where he recorded a 1-1 record with a 2.08 ERA in four starts.

The Astros will kick off a three-game home series on Friday against the Orioles, who will counter with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (8-2, 3.20 ERA).