OAKLAND -- Ronel Blanco showed no signs of rust in his return from a 10-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's policy on foreign substances.

Blanco completed seven innings of one-run ball in his first start since May 14 -- when he was ejected after throwing three scoreless innings against the A's at Minute Maid Park because umpires found a sticky substance in his glove -- in Sunday's 5-2 win at the Coliseum.

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"I really wasn't focused on [the suspension]," Blanco said via team interpreter Jenloy Herrera. "I was mostly just focused on coming here and doing my job. Try and throw my pitches and try to help the team win."

While Blanco continued to get work in when he was ineligible to pitch, throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice back in Houston, manager Joe Espada expected the 30-year-old right-hander to be somewhat limited in his return. Blanco was at 85 pitches through six innings, right around the range Espada had targeted before the game.

Blanco exceeded expectations, though, coming back out for the seventh and throwing 104 pitches in his longest start since his no-hitter against the Blue Jays on April 1. Overall, he struck out six against one walk and allowed only one run on four hits.

"He was still in command of the game," Espada said of the seventh inning. "For me, it was more how he felt physically. And he was still strong, he still felt good. It was just a matter of keeping an eye on him and making sure that his stuff was still crisp and he was still executing his pitches."

The Astros improved to 8-1 in Blanco's starts this season, and he lowered his ERA to 1.99. His .174 opponent batting average ranks third among all qualified Major League starters.

"He's been doing that all year," said right fielder Kyle Tucker, who set an Astros record for homers through the club's first 53 games with his MLB-leading 18th of the season in a five-run fourth inning. "We're happy to have him back and out there on the mound for us again."

Because Houston is using a six-man rotation amid a 30-day span featuring 29 games, Blanco essentially missed only one start during his suspension. That long stretch for the Astros will come to an end after 13 straight games without an off-day that began with the three-game set in Oakland.

While Blanco's return is significant for the team, questions remain about the state of the rotation.

There are no probable starters beyond Framber Valdez on Monday for the rest of the upcoming four-game series against the first-place Mariners, who are 3 1/2 games ahead of the Astros in the American League West. Espada said that the team will "go one game at a time."

The spot after Valdez belongs to Cristian Javier, who was unable to throw a scheduled bullpen session on Sunday due to forearm discomfort, Espada said. He is considered day to day.

Javier's velocity was down in his previous start last Tuesday, when he labored through four innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks in an eventual 6-5 walk-off win over the Angels. He previously spent about three weeks on the injured list with neck discomfort.

The setback for José Urquidy, who had been close to being activated from the 15-day injured list before exiting last Friday's rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land with right forearm discomfort, represents an additional wrinkle in the Astros' plans.

Urquidy missed the beginning of the season with a right forearm strain sustained during Spring Training, and after being pulled from his most recent rehab start, he's scheduled to undergo additional testing on Tuesday.

"It's not ideal," Espada said. "We were counting on him to come at some point next week and help give us some more depth in our rotation. And it's unfortunate that that happened, because he's worked so hard to get back."

The Astros' six-man rotation gives them options if Javier is unable to start on Tuesday. The other starters could move up a day -- beginning with Hunter Brown, who took a step forward with six innings of two-run ball his last time out -- and essentially start on regular rest.

With some uncertainty ahead, Houston is setting its sights on the opportunity to make up ground in the division after taking two of three in Oakland.

"It's a big series win," Espada said. "Now we go to Seattle, and it's a series that we're all looking forward to."