Astros take series vs. Tigers after gem from Ronel Blanco

It was a successful weekend for the Houston Astros after taking two out of three games against the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros won Sunday behind a gem from rookie starter Ronel Blanco, who tossed seven no-hit innings with eight strikeouts before Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader finished things off in the final two innings.

This marked Blanco's second start of seven-plus no-hit innings this season. He threw a complete-game no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1. Blanco is just the second layer in Astros history to log multiple starts of seven-plus no-hit innings in a single season, joining his teammate Framber Valdez, who did it last season.

Blanco's 2.43 ERA ranked sixth in the AL when his outing ended Sunday.

The weekend was not without its challenges. Justin Verlander was scratched from his start Saturday, which turned into a disastrous day for the Astros.

Rookie Spencer Arrighetti started in Verlander's place, but only last 1 1/3 innings after giving up seven earned runs on five hits, including three home runs. The Tigers racked up a season-high 19 hits that day. It was also a season-high for hits allowed by the Astros in the 13-5 defeat.

But all was rectified with Blanco's outing Sunday. The Astros (33-39) are 8.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the AL West lead and 6.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot.

Houston is off Monday before a three-game series visiting the Chicago White Sox. The Astros return to Minute Maid Park for a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles.