The Houston Astros lost 4-2 to the Texas Rangers on Sunday to drop the three-game series. Houston got a great start from a pitcher who desperately needed it after a week in the spotlight. Framber Valdez crossed up Cesar Salazar on Monday against the Yankees, but kept his cool for the Astros on Sunday. Valdez spoke about his calmness after a whirlwind week with Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press.
“That was a priority for today,” Valdez said through a translator, per Dixon. “I was just trying to keep my focus, no matter if they hit a home run. I recognize that was a bad outing for me. Between César and me, it was a bad moment, but we keep working and focus on the next outing, and focus on keeping on working on my stuff and having a good outing.”
Valdez threw seven innings, allowing three earned runs and just five hits against the Rangers. While Houston lost the game, they got their ace back in his groove, which will be needed down the stretch. His manager, Joe Espada, knows that is the case: “That was a really good outing for him. He bounced back well, and we need more of that.”
The Astros have a 2.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners for the AL West lead, with the Rangers four games back. While they have a great chance of making the playoffs, they would love to win the division and get home-field advantage in the Wild Card series. That would put Valdez on the mound in front of the Houston faithful in the first playoff game.
The Valdez cross-up incident could have been compounded by another poor start or freak-out on the mound. But instead, he pitched well and put the Salazar incident behind him. Houston heads to Toronto next, and Valdez will pitch against the Braves in the following series.
