Houston, Texas. On a night of dominance and resilience at Daikin Park, Dominican left-hander Framber Valdez set a new Astros franchise record by recording 12 strikeouts in just 5.0 innings, leading the team to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Valdez (7-4) needed 95 pitches to complete his five innings, in which he faced a persistent offense that batted 23 fouls and struck out 20 times, including 12 against his curveball. With this performance, Valdez became the “fifth left-hander in Astros history” to reach 75 victories, joining Bob Knepper, Wandy Rodríguez, Mike Hampton, and Dallas Keuchel.
“Their plan was clearly to fight every at-bat, and they did it well. They made Framber work harder than usual,” said manager Joe Espada. “But he held his ground and our bullpen did a tremendous job to close it out.”
Houston’s offense backed the starting pitcher’s work with a three-run rally in the third inning, driven by consecutive doubles from José Altuve and Yainer Díaz. In the fifth inning, Isaac Paredes hit his 15th home run of the season to extend the lead to 4-1, although he later had to leave the game due to discomfort in his left hamstring.
Espada informed that Paredes will be evaluated again this Friday. The Mexican has been a key piece in Houston’s lineup, leading the club in home runs and RBIs (42) with an offensive line of .255/.353/.478.
In the closing, Josh Hader allowed a solo home run, but recovered to achieve his 18th save in the same number of opportunities, preserving the victory.
With this result, the Astros extended their lead in the American League West to 4.5 games, solidifying themselves as the team to beat in the division.
Valdez (7-4) needed 95 pitches to complete his five innings, in which he faced a persistent offense that batted 23 fouls and struck out 20 times, including 12 against his curveball. With this performance, Valdez became the “fifth left-hander in Astros history” to reach 75 victories, joining Bob Knepper, Wandy Rodríguez, Mike Hampton, and Dallas Keuchel.
