The Houston Astros made a massive splash at the trade deadline by bringing back Justin Verlander. At the same time, they were treated to a masterful performance by Framber Valdez. He threw a no-hitter, making him the first Houston pitcher to throw one by himself since Verlander in 2019.

Valdez carved up the Cleveland Guardians in just 93 pitches, the third-fewest in such a performance since 1988, in the Astros' 2-0 win. He struck out seven batters, allowed just one walk to Oscar Gonzalez and said after the game that he had everything working against the Guardians, according to ESPN.

“All my pitches felt that they were working today. I was able to throw strikes and I threw strikes without any fear tonight,” Valdez said through an interpreter, via ESPN.

Framber Valdez's gem of a game pumped up fans as the Astros find themselves in a tight race for the AL West with the Texas Rangers. He pitched a clunker in his previous outing but bounced back to help Houston pick up a massive victory, which may not have happened if not for his excellent pitching. Kyle Tucker's two-RBI single in the third inning was the only instance where they took advantage of runners in scoring position.

“I just went out there and tried to do the best that I could,” Valdez said after the Astros' win, via ESPN. “Just tried to go out there being very positive. When I got to the seventh inning, I thought to myself, ‘OK, I think I can finish this game without any hits.’ Got to the eighth inning, I still felt good, I felt like it was still the first inning. So I kept attacking the hitters, trying to do my best out there.”

The Astros have gotten another All-Star season from Valdez but still needed a boost to help them contend better. Verlander, who has been strong with the Mets before being traded, should reinvigorate the rotation. They reacquired another arm, reliever Kendall Graveman, to bolster the bullpen.

Valdez and Verlander will need to keep pitching well while the Astros try to get their offense back to being a juggernaut.