Valdez took the loss in Sunday's 9-2 defeat to the Rangers in Game 6 of the ALCS, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out six.
Valdez fared better in this outing given that he could not make it out of the third inning in his last start, but it still was not enough for him to avoid his third loss in a row. The bulk of the damage came off a changeup he hung in the zone to Jonah Heim that was scraped over the wall for a two-run shot. Valdez's struggles this postseason are surprising compared to his robust 3.45 ERA across 198 innings in the regular season, although it may be that such a large workload has caused him to tire out at the finish line. On the other hand, he managed to keep his strikeouts in line with his average 6.5 per start, hinting at his upside if he can limit his mistakes. Valdez has pitched to a 9.00 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with 17 strikeouts across 12 innings this postseason.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Lined up to start Game 6
Rotowire
Valdez will start Sunday in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Rangers, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Valdez was rocked for five runs -- four earned -- over just 2.2 innings in taking a loss in Game 2, so he'll be looking for better results Sunday on an extra day of rest. Nathan Eovaldi is lined up to start Game 6 for the Rangers.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Starting Game 2 of ALCS
Rotowire
Valdez will start Monday against Texas in Game 2 of the ALCS, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Valdez had a tough time getting through his first appearance of the postseason, surrendering five runs over 4.1 innings against Minnesota in Game 2 of the ALDS. Valdez has been a reliable member of Houston's rotation with a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in the regular season, but momentum will not be on his side against the Rangers after three consecutive shaky outings.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Burnt for five runs in loss
Rotowire
Valdez allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks across 4.1 innings, taking the loss in Sunday's 6-2 defeat against the Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS. He struck out five.
Valdez is a typically reliable member of the Astros rotation, although he is no stranger to the occasional volatile outing. Sunday's start marked the sixth time in 32 starts this season that the southpaw has given up five or more earned runs. Valdez gave up three of his runs on at-bats by Carlos Correa, who knocked in runners in both the first and fifth innings to stick Valdez with the loss. The sixth-year pitcher has fared better overall in the postseason for his career, pitching to a 3.82 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 73 innings with 80 strikeouts.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Going in Game 2 for Houston
Rotowire
Valdez will start for the Astros on Sunday in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Twins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Houston will go with Justin Verlander for the series opener before turning to Valdez in Game 2. Valdez was a little shaky in his final two starts of the regular season with 10 runs (nine earned) allowed over 9.1 innings, although he fanned 17 batters to finish with an even 200 strikeouts on the season.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Wild in no-decision
Rotowire
Valdez allowed three runs on five hits and five walks while striking out seven over four innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Wednesday.
Valdez walked five batters for the third time this year, and he's issued multiple free passes in three of his last five starts. This was a short outing of 83 pitches (49 strikes), which could allow Valdez to line up for an early playoff game or potentially a brief bullpen assignment over the weekend if the Astros are looking to secure a playoff spot. Through 198 innings this year, he's posted a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 200:57 K:BB over 31 starts.
Valdez (12-11) allowed seven runs (six earned) on four hits and three walks over 5.1 innings Friday, striking out 10 and taking a loss against Kansas City.
The Royals pounced on Valdez with a four-run first inning and set the tone for the rest of the game. He held them off until the sixth inning, when he was charged with three more runs. Despite the rough performance, he reached double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this year and the second time this month. Valdez owns a 3.57 ERA in 10 starts since the beginning of August despite allowing at least six runs on three occasions during that span. He'll carry a 3.39 ERA into his final regular-season appearance, which is lined up to come in Seattle next week.
Astros' Framber Valdez: Goes seven to earn 12th win
Rotowire
Valdez (12-10) earned the win Sunday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and one walk over seven innings in a 7-1 win over the Royals. He struck out five.
A throwing error led to an unearned run that gave Kansas City an early lead, but Valdez was aided by a couple of double plays and an out at the plate to otherwise keep the Royals off the board. It was the fifth consecutive quality start for Valdez, who has gone at least seven innings in seven of his last nine starts. Among all qualified American League starters, Valdez ranks second in innings (188.2), fifth in ERA (3.20), sixth in WHIP (1.09), seventh in strikeouts (183) and second in quality starts (20). He's currently penciled in to face the Royals again next weekend in Houston.
Valdez (11-10) took the loss against Oakland on Monday, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters over seven innings.
Valdez racked up 18 swinging strikes and finished with his third double-digit punchout game of the season, but he also served up two long balls. Those were enough to send him to the loss in a game during which Houston was held to three hits and no runs by a trio of Oakland hurlers. Valdez nonetheless extended his streak of quality starts to four, and he's allowed just six runs over 27 innings during that stretch. The Dominican hurler is tied for fourth in the majors with 19 quality starts on the campaign and also holds a 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 178:48 K:BB over 181.2 frames.
Valdez (11-9) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on six hits and four walks over seven innings against the Rangers. He struck out four.
Valdez kept one of MLB's most explosive offenses in check Tuesday, allowing just one run to score across seven innings of work. However, he did endure some hiccups, most notably in the form of his four walks. Regardless, Tuesday's performance continued a strong stretch for Valdez, who owns a 1.35 ERA and a 15:9 K:BB across his last three appearances (20 innings). He's tentatively scheduled to take on the Athletics at MInute Maid Park for his next start.
