After months of battling injuries and holding onto first place in the American League West, the Houston Astros are facing a grim reality entering the final week of the regular season. The Seattle Mariners took control of the division by sweeping Houston last weekend and the Astros now trail Seattle by three games with six games to play in the final week.
Unless Seattle falls apart, the Astros could very well be entering the final week of the season even with winnable series against the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. If that’s the case, it could mark Framber Valdez’s last days in an Astros uniform as the Houston hurler has pitched his way out of town with a miserable stretch in the final two months.
Framber Valdez Could Leave the Astros on a Low Note This Offseason
Valdez entered the season in a contract year and in the first five months, he looked like a pitcher that the Astros should consider keeping around. The right hander was one of the best pitchers in baseball ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, going 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA, 141 strikeouts and 44 walks in 134 innings (21 starts). If the Astros were out of contention, it would have been a great time to sell him in a trade but with Houston in first place, Valdez was an important part of a playoff push.
In a way, Valdez made a difference but not the one the Astros were hoping for. Valdez has cratered over the past two months, going 1-7 on the mound and posting a 6.71 ERA. In addition, Valdez stopped missing bats with 36 strikeouts in 51 innings and his walk rate also jumped to issue 22 free passes during that time frame.
It gets even worse when you compare Valdez’s last two months to the rest of baseball. His ERA is the second-highest among qualifying pitchers since Aug. 1 and his -1.6 win probability added trails only Jake Irvin of the Washington Nationals (-2.2) and Andre Pallante of the St. Louis Cardinals (-2.0) for the lowest among pitchers with a minimum of five starts.
It’s one of many things that have gone wrong for Houston as they’ve faded out of contention. Injuries to stars such as Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez have been major storylines this season and the bullpen took a hit once Josh Hader went on the injured list with a shoulder injury. Valdez’s performance didn’t help matters and there’s a good chance they could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Astros are still tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot entering the final week. But with the Guardians becoming one of the hottest teams in baseball, it could leave the Astros on the outside looking in. It would mean a disappointing end to Valdez’s tenure in Houston and a big question of “What if?” as the Astros head into the offseason.