Framber Valdez has vehemently denied intentionally hitting his catcher in the chest with a pitch, this occurred shortly after giving up a grand slam in a game. The Astros pitcher, after returning to the mound, admitted that his priority was to remain calm, even after the loss.
Valdez Seeks Calm After a Difficult Moment
After Jake Burger’s two-run homer, which followed a double by Josh Jung in the sixth inning, Valdez’s reaction was different from the one he had after Trent Grisham’s grand slam.Two pitches after Grisham’s home run, Valdez surprised catcher César Salazar with a 92.8 mph fastball. Salazar moved his glove down, indicating that he was expecting a slower pitch with more break. The ball hit him in the chest protector.Both Valdez and Salazar stated that the launch was not intentional.I recognize it was a bad outing for me. Between César and me, it was a bad moment, but we keep working and focus on the next outing.Valdez (12-9) retired the last four batters he faced after Burger’s home run, completing seven innings, allowing five hits and four runs, with five strikeouts.Although he improved his performance against the Rangers, Valdez has a 1-5 record with an ERA of 5.99 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.That was a very good outing for him. He recovered well, and we need more of that.Salazar was not in Houston’s lineup in Valdez’s return. Yainer Díaz, who was the catcher in Valdez’s first 25 starts, was behind the plate.Salazar had been called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on August 27. Valdez’s games were Salazar’s second and third starts of the season.Valdez, 29 years old, has learned to manage frustration and focus on the next batter.Valdez went up to the mound earlier than expected after the Astros decided to give Luis Garcia more time to recover.Espada said Garcia was physically fine after the victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Garcia allowed three runs in six innings in his first start since May 2023.I learned not to get frustrated, not to go crazy. Just focus on the next batter and the next pitch I’m going to throw.
Framber Valdez
