HOUSTON – Framber Valdez knew it was inevitable he’d pitch against the Astros at some point. But keeping his emotions relatively in check, the left-hander who called Houston home for the first eight seasons of his Major League career turned in one of his best outings this year Tuesday night, even if the Tigers ultimately fell to his former team, 4-2, at Daikin Park.
Valdez pitched himself out of a couple of jams, allowing just an unearned run in six innings. He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out six.
The only run allowed by Valdez scored on a two-out passed ball by Dillon Dingler in the fifth. But Valdez put the brunt of the responsibility on himself, considering Raynel Delgado might not have been aboard had Valdez gotten to first base more quickly and been able to field a high throw from first baseman Spencer Torkelson.
“I made a pitch, and after releasing the ball, I ended up toward third base, so [Delgado] beat me on that,” Valdez said. “I am responsible for that, even for the throw being high, because I was late on the run, and there was no chance for the out to be made.”
Delgado was credited with a single, and groundouts by Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez got him to third. After Christian Walker walked, Dingler was unable to corral a 2-0 changeup to Isaac Paredes, and when it went under his glove, Delgado scored. Paredes then walked, but Valdez prevented further damage by striking out longtime teammate Jose Altuve looking when the call on his final pitch was reversed to a strike on appeal.
Valdez had retired Altuve on a flyout to escape a second-and-third jam in the first. After Peña doubled and Alvarez singled to start the third, Valdez stranded them by striking out Walker and Paredes and retiring Altuve on a grounder to third.
“I was comfortable in those situations,” said Valdez, who totaled 92 pitches (57 for strikes). “I was following my plan to attack those hitters. Those were good at-bats, and I was able to attack the strike zone.”
Dingler achieved temporary atonement for his passed ball by putting the Tigers up 2-1 with an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. But the Astros touched Keider Montero for three runs in the bottom of the eighth, with an error by third baseman Kevin McGonigle playing a pivotal role. After Yainer Diaz singled with one out, McGonigle booted Cam Smith’s bouncer. Will Vest replaced Montero and promptly walked pinch-hitter Joey Loperfido, setting up a two-run single by Delgado that made it 3-2. Pena drove in another run on a fielder’s choice grounder.
“We gave them some extra opportunities, and they took advantage,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, whose team also squandered some offensive chances. Dingler, who was at first base with two outs in the first, was easily thrown out at the plate after an aggressive send by third-base coach Joey Cora on Riley Greene’s single. And after driving in Detroit’s first run with a two-out single in the second, Hao-Yu Lee was promptly thrown out trying to steal second.
Hinch was nonetheless pleased with what he saw from Valdez, who lowered his ERA from 4.40 to 4.09. On Monday, the manager had spoken of Valdez’s needing to compartmentalize his return to Daikin Park with the task at hand.
“This start mattered to him a ton,” Hinch said. “He was pretty emotional, even though he’ll try to hide it from you. I thought he did a great job of staying connected to the competition and not letting himself get distracted.
“Obviously, he’s going to recognize the guys that he’s played with, but I thought he was excellent. He drove his pitch count up, but was able to get some big outs and able to pitch himself out of the couple jams that he had, and left the game right where we could have hoped.”
Astros manager Joe Espada was hardly surprised.
“We had him on the ropes a few times,” Espada said, “but we’ve seen this of Valdez. He doesn’t give in. He’s got that sinker and changeup working down. We couldn’t get that big hit.
“He’s a damn good pitcher. We know that.”