HOUSTON -- Considering how inconsistent the Astros' offense has been through the first six games of the season with Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley out with injuries, getting a win with ace pitcher Framber Valdez on the mound is paramount.
Houston has lost both of Valdez’s starts, including Tuesday’s 6-3 setback to the Tigers at Minute Maid Park. Valdez has done his part, though, throwing five scoreless innings against the White Sox on Opening Day and holding the Tigers to two earned runs in seven innings, which is good enough for a 1.50 ERA.
The Astros, who lost four of Valdez’s first five starts last year before he went on a season-long run of dominance, have left the southpaw with little room for error, and he made a couple of mistakes Tuesday -- an RBI double to left field by Spencer Torkelson in the first inning and a wild pitch in the fifth that helped Detroit push across a run.
“I think the team is playing well,” said Valdez, who went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA last year and finished fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting. “Those are just things that happen in baseball. Sometimes you think you’re going to get a play, but there’s a lot of uncertainty with some things there. I think we need to continue to work and make adjustments, and we’ll be good.”
An unearned run in the sixth put the Tigers ahead, 3-2, and Torkelson capped a three-hit night by hitting a long homer off Ryne Stanek in the eighth inning. Houston has been outhomered, 8-4, this year, with Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker both hitting a pair. Tucker led off the fourth inning Tuesday with a homer.
“He had a little trouble getting his breaking ball over early,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of Valdez. “He actually threw better in the seventh than he did in any inning of the game. It’s a little disheartening when their hitters are getting more homers than we’re getting. Right now, our right-handed hitters haven’t hit the ball out of the park; only our left-handed hitters [have]. We know we’re going to get going, and we need a big win tomorrow before we go on the road.”
Perhaps the most important thing Valdez accomplished Tuesday was becoming the first Houston starter to work past the fifth inning. He threw a season-high 103 pitches, which included a six-pitch second inning and a seven-pitch fourth. Prior to Tuesday, Astros starters had thrown 23 2/3 innings; their relievers had thrown 23 1/3 innings.
“Very important for me and also important for the bullpen,” Valdez said. “Those guys have thrown a lot the last couple of days, and it’s my goal to try to pitch deep into the games.”
Valdez relied heavily on his sinker, which he threw 52 times, and he got seven of his 15 swings-and-misses on his hard changeup, which he threw as many times (23) as his curveball, one of the best curves in the game. In 12 innings this season, Valdez has allowed two earned runs, 14 hits and walked only one batter while striking out 13.
“They made some adjustments from the beginning of the game, and I tried to make adjustments as well. I think the important thing was I kept the game close,” he said.
Close wasn’t good enough for the defending World Series champions, who have lost three in a row. They’ve been outhit by their opponents in four of six games and have managed just seven extra-base hits -- the four homers and three doubles.
“Right now, not much going good for us,” Baker said. “If you have a miscue, they capitalize on it. When you're not going good, then things don’t go well for you. Every break we give the opposition, it seems like they’re capitalizing on it. The thing about it is we have to get back to .500, and we’ll worry about getting over .500 from there.”