Framber Valdez Focuses After Mound Incident
Astros pitcher Framber Valdez has intentionally denied hitting his catcher in the chest with a pitch, this occurred shortly after giving up a grand slam in the loss to the New York Yankees last week. Valdez, after returning to the mound, acknowledged that his priority was to remain calm, even after the 4-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday, where he conceded another crucial home run.The two-time All-Star’s reaction to Jake Burger’s two-run homer was different from what happened after Trent Grisham’s grand slam in the Yankees’ 7-1 victory on Tuesday. Two pitches after Grisham’s home run, Valdez threw a 92.8 mph sinker that hit catcher Cesar Salazar’s chest protector. Both Valdez and Salazar stated that the pitch was unintentional. Valdez admitted it was a bad performance, but both he and Salazar are focused on continuing to work and improve in future games. Valdez (12-9) retired the last four batters he faced after Burger’s home run, finishing seven innings, allowing five hits and four runs, three of them earned, with five strikeouts. Despite having improved against the Rangers, Valdez has a 1-5 record with a 5.99 ERA since the beginning of August. Manager Joe Espada is optimistically looking forward to the final three weeks, with the Astros leading the American League West Division by 2.5 games over Seattle and four over Texas.That was a priority for today. I was just trying to stay focused regardless of whether they hit a home run.
Framber Valdez
Salazar was not in Houston’s lineup for Valdez’s return, with Yainer Diaz behind the plate. Valdez, 29 years old, has learned not to get frustrated and to focus on the next batter and the next pitch. Valdez went up to the mound earlier than expected after the Astros decided to give Luis Garcia more time to recover. Espada indicated that Garcia would be at the opening of a three-game series in Toronto on Tuesday.That was a very good outing for him. He recovered well, and we need more of that.
Joe Espada
