The Houston Astros are in the midst of a heated battle for the American League West crown heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
The Astros currently have a two-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the division, which does not give them any room to screw up. Houston hopes to get All-Star slugger Yordan Alvarez back from his rehab assignment in the near future, as it would provide its lineup a late-season boost.
As for the starting rotation, the Stros just got Cristian Javier back last week and received a solid outing from Spencer Arrighetti, who threw 5 2/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
While Houston needs those starters plus Lance McCullers Jr., the Astros will lean on Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez to help seal the deal next month.
Framber Valdez Needs to Be Better in September After a Rough August
Brown and Valdez have proven to be one of the better frontline starting pitcher duos in the American League. The 26-year-old Brown has a 10-5 record and stellar 2.36 ERA across 25 starts. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Valdez has an 11-7 record and a 3.32 ERA in 25 starts.
However, Valdez has struggled immensely in August, which is a huge contrast to what Brown has done on the mound this month (1-0, 1.44 ERA in four starts). The left-handed starter has been getting lit up by opposing pitchers, as his ERA in August was 7.33.
The Astros didn’t expect this from the veteran hurler, especially with what Valdez showed on the mound in July (2-0, 2.16 ERA across four starts). This month, the three-time AL Cy Young top-10 vote-getter has given up 31 hits, 21 runs (19 earned), 10 walks, while only racking up 12 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
Houston has been on the losing end of Valdez’s last five starts, dating back to July, which isn’t a good sign. Furthermore, opponents are hitting .341 at the plate with an OPS of .845 this month, which doesn’t bode well going into the final start.
In his last start against the Detroit Tigers (Aug. 20), a team that they could see in the playoffs, the Tigers hammered the veteran southpaw. Valdez allowed seven hits, seven earned runs, and four walks, while only picking up two strikeouts in five innings.
The veteran starting pitcher will have one more opportunity to end this month on a high note against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.
That said, if Valdez can’t dominate this Rockies’ lineup, which hits .239, then the Astros could be in trouble next month. But we know the type of starting pitcher Valdez is in September/October, he can win you a game, let alone a postseason series.