Astros' Framber Valdez: Gets ample run support in victory
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Valdez (8-4) earned the win over the Athletics on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out three batters over six innings.
Valdez didn't have his best stuff Wednesday -- he issued a season-high five walks and notched just three strikeouts -- but he admirably managed to mostly work out of trouble to register a quality start. The southpaw trailed 1-0 after two innings, though Houston's offense kicked into gear after that, helping Valdez cruise to a relatively comfortable win. The 31-year-old held a 1-4 record through seven starts this season, but since then he's collected seven victories in eight outings, posting a 2.13 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 62:18 K:BB over 55 frames during the latter span. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is projected to be a home tilt against the Phillies.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Another dominant performance
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Valdez (7-4) recorded the win Thursday against the White Sox after giving up two runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out 12.
After fanning what was 11 in his last start, Valdez one-upped himself Thursday by setting another season high in strikeouts. The star left-hander produced a whopping 20 whiffs, and he also worked at least five innings while surrendering two runs or fewer for the 10th time in 14 outings during 2025. Valdez sports a reliable 3.10 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 96:28 K:BB over 90 innings, and his next start is slated for next week against an Athletics club that's slugging a dismal .291 versus lefties since May 14.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Fans 11 in win
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Valdez (6-4) allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 11 in seven innings during Thursday's 8-2 win over the Pirates.
Valdez turned in one of his best performances of the season Thursday, striking out a season-high 11 batters on the way to the win. The 31-year-old has been dominant of late, notching six straight performances of at least six innings with three runs or fewer. Over that stretch he has a 1.84 ERA in 44 innings with 47 strikeouts. The left-hander's next scheduled start is a favorable home matchup with the White Sox on Wednesday.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Logs quality start in win
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Valdez (4-4) earned the win against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts over six innings.
Valdez battled through command issues, tying a season high with four walks while generating just seven whiffs on 101 pitches. Despite the lack of swing-and-miss stuff, the southpaw extended his streak to four straight quality starts and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of 11 outings this season. He'll carry a 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 64:23 K:BB across 69 innings into a home matchup with the Rays next weekend.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Strikes out eight in win
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Valdez (3-4) earned the win against the Rangers on Sunday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings.
Valdez allowed three runs in the fourth inning but worked six scoreless frames otherwise. The southpaw generated 12 whiffs on 98 pitches and has now completed at least seven innings in three straight outings. On the season, he owns a 3.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 59:19 K:BB across 63 innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Mariners next weekend.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Starting series finale
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Valdez will start Sunday's game against the Rangers, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Valdez was originally slated to start Monday, but the Astros appear set to return to a five-man rotation. He'll still be on regular rest and has worked at least seven innings in three of his last four starts. Ryan Gusto looks to be destined for a relief role as a result of this move.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Sharp in second win
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Valdez (2-4) picked up the win in Wednesday's 9-1 victory over the Brewers, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out seven.
The southpaw delivered his fifth quality start of the season on 101 pitches (59 strikes), with only a solo shot by Eric Haase in the fifth inning marring his line. Valdez generated 33 called or swinging strikes as he snapped a four-decision losing streak, and he'll take a 3.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB through 48 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Royals.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Goes distance in loss
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Valdez (1-3) tossed a complete game in Saturday's loss to the Royals, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out five over eight innings.
Valdez allowed a sacrifice fly for the opening run in the first inning and also gave up a solo home run to Vinnie Pasquantino in the fifth. This was Valdez's fourth quality start in six outings this season. He's also allowed just three homers while maintaining a 4.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB across 36 innings. He's lined up for a favorable matchup in his next outing, which is projected to be on the road versus the White Sox.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Bounces back with quality start
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Valdez allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two in six innings Sunday versus the Padres. He did not factor into the decision.
Valdez exhibited some early command issues with three walks and a run allowed in his first two innings. The Padres put up another run in the third after Fernando Tatis led off the frame with a triple. Valdez settled in with three scoreless frames over the back half of his start and ended at 87 pitches while pounding the zone with 63 strikes. It's been mixed results for Valdez through his first five starts, but he lowered his ERA to 4.50 after allowing seven runs against St. Louis to open up the week. He'll try to get back in the win column for the first time since his debut in a road start versus the Royals over the weekend.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Hit hard by Cardinals
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Valdez (1-2) took the loss against St. Louis on Monday, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and one walk while striking out three batters over four-plus innings.
Though Valdez didn't give up any homers, the Cardinals hit the ball plenty hard against him and racked up five doubles. The southpaw ended his outing in poor form, giving up five hits -- including three doubles -- to the final seven batters he faced and exiting in a 6-0 hole. This was Valdez's shortest outing of the campaign, as he had gone at least five frames in each of his previous three starts. It's been a roller coaster for the Astros' ace to begin the season -- he's hurled two scoreless outings, but in his other two starts he's given up a combined 11 earned runs across nine innings.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Dominant in six scoreless innings
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Valdez didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Seattle after allowing two runs and one walk in six innings, striking out eight.
Valdez overcame an illness to take his turn in the rotation Tuesday, dominating the Mariners while pouring in 64 of his 94 pitches for strikes over six shutout frames. Ryan Bliss doubled off the left-hander in the fifth inning, but Valdez left him stranded in scoring position. The southpaw will carry an excellent 2.50 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 21:2 K:BB across 18 innings (three starts) into his next scheduled appearance in St. Louis, which is tentatively set for early next week.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Seven shutout frames on Opening Day
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Valdez (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against the Mets, striking out four and giving up four hits and two walks across seven scoreless frames.
Valdez got off to a rocky start by allowing one hit and one walk in the first frame, but he managed to escape unscathed and didn't face much resistance over the following six innings. The Astros' shutout was broken in the ninth inning when Josh Hader gave up a sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor, but the southpaw reliever managed to punch out Juan Soto for the save to give Valdez the Opening Day victory. It's a strong start to the 2025 season for Valdez after posting career bests in 2024 in ERA (2.91) and WHIP (1.11) across 176.1 regular-season frames. He's tentatively slated to face off against the Giants at home next week.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Named Opening Day starter
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Manager Joe Espada announced Sunday that Valdez will start Opening Day against the Mets on March 27, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
After posting a career-best 2.91 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 169:55 K:BB across 176.1 regular-season innings last season, it was only a matter of time before Espada named Valdez as Houston's Opening Day starter. The left-hander has focused on the movement of his pitches during spring training and overall has pitched well with a 2.53 ERA across 10.2 innings.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Earning $18 million in 2025
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Valdez and the Astros agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract to avoid arbitration Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Valdez is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and will earn nearly $6 million more than he did in 2024. He's emerged as one of the more reliable pitchers around the league in recent seasons, posting no worse than a 3.45 ERA in any season since 2021. Valdez has also completed at least 176 innings in each of the last three campaigns.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Blanks Arizona for 14th win
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Valdez (14-6) picked up the win in Friday's 8-0 rout of the Diamondbacks, allowing two hits and three walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
Valdez has now held the opposition scoreless three times in his last four trips to the mound. The southpaw has been nearly untouchable since the beginning of August, giving up only 15 hits in 41 innings over his last six starts en route to a 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB. Valdez will look to stay dominant in his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Athletics.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Falters late in loss
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Valdez (13-6) took the loss against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Valdez was pulled with a 2-0 lead and the bases loaded in the sixth inning but all three runs crossed home plate on a pinch-hit double by Jackson Holliday. It was the southpaw's first loss since June 18 and just the second time in seven starts since the All-Star break he's allowed more than two earned runs. On the season, Valdez owns a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 139:44 K:BB across 143.1 innings and lines up for a home matchup with the Royals next week.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Blanks Dodgers for ninth win
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Valdez (9-5) picked up the win Friday, allowing four hits and two walks over 6.1 scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Dodgers. He struck out 10.
The 10 strikeouts tied his season high, a mark he set in his final outing before the All-Star break, while the quality start was his 11th of the campaign. Valdez has been locked in since the beginning of June, giving up three runs or fewer in nine of his last 10 starts while posting a 2.73 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 60:23 K:BB in 62.2 innings. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound at home next weekend against a Rays squad that could be seriously depleted after the trade deadline.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Strong through five innings
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Valdez did not factor into the decision in a win over Seattle on Saturday, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out six.
Valdez managed to keep Seattle off the board until the bottom of the sixth, when Julio Rodriguez took him deep for a two-run shot. The lefty was then relieved by Tayler Scott with two outs in the frame, narrowly missing out on his third straight quality start. Valdez hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last five outings, though he's now issued multiple free passes in five of his last six. Over that latter stretch he's 3-1 with a 37:17 K:BB.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Hit hard Saturday
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Valdez allowed six runs on 10 hits and three walks while striking out five over 4.2 innings in a no-decision versus the Mets on Saturday.
Valdez struggled in the second and third innings, but the Astros were able to rally back to help him avoid a loss. Over six outings in June, he allowed 16 runs across 37.2 innings, though 11 of those runs came in two starts. The southpaw is still struggling compared to his usual level of performance with a 4.11 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 68:29 K:BB over 85.1 innings through 14 starts this year. Valdez is projected to make his next start on the road in Toronto.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Struggles with control in loss
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Valdez (5-5) took the loss Tuesday against the White Sox, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks over 6.1 innings. He struck out five.
The Houston southpaw toiled against a weak White Sox team that entered the evening collectively batting .220 with a 7.1 percent walk rate -- both qualifying as the second-worst marks in the majors. The five walks Valdez issued were the most since his first start this season against the Yankees on March 28, when he issued six free passes. The 30-year-old now sports a 3.91 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 56:24 K:BB over 73.2 innings. Valdez faces a difficult test in his next scheduled outing, slated to come against Baltimore at home this weekend.
