The curveball arced for a called third strike. Matt McLain craned his neck in disbelief. Ronel Blanco came off the mound with a hop-step and a pump of his fist, punctuation on another clean inning. It distilled Sunday afternoon at Daikin Park into a deft sequence.

Ronel Blanco struck out a career-high 11 in eight innings and Shawn Dubin completed the two-hitter to lead the Houston Astros to a 6-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds managed just two hits in another anemic offensive showing and 6-0 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. Cincinnati now sits at 20-22, having lost seven of nine after winning seven of nine.