WEST SACRAMENTO -- With the season on the line, Astros left-hander Framber Valdez delivered in the clutch Thursday afternoon, with some help from an offense that finally started showing signs of urgency.
Valdez, who had won one game in his previous 10 starts, struck out 10 batters in seven one-run innings, and the Astros scored more than they had in their previous five games to blast the A’s, 11-5, at Sutter Health Park. That snapped Houston’s five-game losing streak and kept its playoff hopes alive entering the final weekend of the season.
“That’s exactly what we needed,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We need that going forward here. We’ve got three big games in Anaheim and hopefully that momentum carries over.”
The Astros (85-74) moved to within a game of the Tigers for the final Wild Card spot in the American League. Detroit, which is playing Cleveland on Thursday evening, has the tiebreaker over the Astros, who finish the regular season with three games vs. the Angels this weekend.
“Winning this game was very important, and now we’re flying to Anaheim and need to win the three games there,” said Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
After not leading at any point in their previous five games, the Astros took advantage of a hit by pitch and a walk by A’s starter J.T. Ginn to score twice in the first inning. They added three more runs in the second and two more in the fourth and fifth without the benefit of a home run to take a 9-0 lead. The Astros had 12 hits, drew seven walks and were 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
It was the kind of offensive production the team hasn’t had enough of in the second half.
“The collection of our at-bats the whole entire game -- the seven walks, we’re seeing a ton of pitches, [at-bats] with runners in scoring position -- we did so many things very well offensively and once you give Framber that lead, he was able to capitalize and just run with it,” Espada said.
Valdez allowed a leadoff single before striking out the next five batters to set the tone for his outing. He didn’t give up a run until Nick Kurtz belted an opposite-field homer on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the sixth inning. Valdez’s 10 strikeouts are his most since whiffing 12 on July 28.
“My main motivation today was keeping the team afloat, giving the team a chance to reach the postseason,” Valdez said. “Those bad starts, I always forget them. I don’t want to remember them, so just focus and attack the zone and keep the team afloat for a chance at the playoffs.”
The Astros have been without slugger Yordan Alvarez since he sprained his ankle Sept. 15, and All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña missed his fourth game in a row with an oblique strain. Meanwhile, Altuve is playing with a sore right foot, and designated hitter Isaac Paredes is playing with a right hamstring injury that’s far from 100 percent.
Paredes went 2-for-3 and scored from second base in the first inning on a single by Victor Caratini.
“I’m doing the best I can,” Paredes said. “I don’t feel bad at all. It’s not hurting at all. I couldn’t tell you a percentage of how much I’m grinding out there, ‘cause with the adrenaline it takes the situation of the game.”
Valdez was 1-7 with a 6.71 ERA in his previous nine starts, with the Astros going 1-8 in that span. In his final start of the regular season, he showed a glimpse of vintage Valdez, getting 10 ground ball outs and using his curveball to set up the sinker.
Valdez, whose 82 career wins are the second-most by an Astros southpaw behind Bob Knepper’s 93, is a free agent at the end of the season and could have made his final start for Houston. He wouldn’t get the ball again to begin a game unless the Astros can make the playoffs. He did his part Thursday to help his team get there.
“[The Astros] signed me as a free agent and they trusted me all the way from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues and they trusted in me that I could do the job,” he said. “Hopefully, we get to the playoffs and I get a chance to pitch there.”