Peter Lambert will open second half for Astros

Lambert gave up five hits, walked three and struck out three. He fell to 8-6 with the loss. The Padres scored individual runs against Lambert in the first, third and fourth innings. He allowed an RBI force out to Jackson Merrill in the first inning before giving up a solo home run to Merrill in the third inning. In the fourth inning, a rare error by the typically sure-handed shortstop Jeremy Pena led to an unearned run. Lambert has a 3.09 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Mariners at home next weekend.

The Blue Jays are hopeful that it’s just a minor setback and that he’ll be able to return to the mound soon, but they want to have the imaging done to be on the safe side. Expect the club to provide another update on his status once that exam is done.

Arrighetti has been working his way back from a nerve issue in his foot and it appeared as though he may have aggravated it again during Thursday’s contest. Before exiting he had allowed just two walks over 2 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball with one strikeout. He’ll head for further evaluation. Expect the Jays to have an update on his status before Friday’s game.

Brown had a no-hitter going until the sixth, when he gave up a double, a single and a homer. That put him up to 93 pitches for the day, so he didn’t come back out for the seventh. Still, this was an encouraging showing. He averaged a season-high 96.8 mph with his sinker, continuing a trend that’s seen him gain velocity in each of his four starts since the All-Star break. He’ll get the Giants next.

Arrighetti, who threw a bullpen session on Tuesday at Daikin Park, told the Blue Jays that he’s ready to take the ball against his former team right now, but that’s not going to happen. The 26-year-old is working his way through a nerve issue in his foot and should be ready to make his Toronto debut sometime around mid-August. He was shipped north of the border in the Daulton Varsho deal at the trade deadline.

Arrighetti is more of a long-term addition for the Blue Jays as they pivot away from contending in the current year without embarking on a full-scale teardown. The 26-year-old righty is on the shelf with right foot nerve irritation.

Varsho will switch clubhouses prior to Monday’s series opener at Daikin Park in Houston. The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reports the Blue Jays are getting starter Spencer Arrighetti, who is currently on the injured list with right foot nerve irritation, back in the deal. Varsho shores up Houston’s significant need for a center fielder after Jake Meyers struggled to the point that he was demoted last month. The 30-year-old played a key role in Toronto’s run to the World Series last year. He’s supplied seven homers and nine steals in 365 plate appearances across 99 games this season.

Both runs came in the fifth, which started with a walk and three singles. Fortunately for Lambert, Evan Carter was thrown out trying to take second after a throw to the plate on the second single. Elias Díaz then grounded into a double play after the third hit, preventing what could have been a big inning. Lambert has allowed two runs or fewer in six straight starts and 11 of his last 12, but he’s remained stuck on eight wins since July 11, having received no-decisions in four straight starts. He’ll take a 3.06 ERA into his next start versus the Padres.

That would have been Tatsuya Imai’s start, but he’s slated to work in relief for now. It was then thought Cristian Javier would start Sunday, but the Astros are pushing back that call for a day. Javier still seems likely to get the ball, but maybe the Astros will acquire another option before then.

This was another strong start for Brown. He faced very little trouble before the sixth inning when Joc Pederson got him for a home run before another double and single. Brown was pulled with runners on second and third and two outs with one of those came home to score after he’d departed. Still, he showed excellent command of his sinker and broke off a few great sliders when he needed them on a night where his knuckle-curve was a bit erratic. He’s moving in the right direction and is scheduled to face the Blue Jays at home next time out.