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New York Times
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Astros' Framber Valdez ‘the best I've seen him' in 83-pitch complete game masterpiece
HOUSTON — Framber Valdez can epitomize efficiency. Soft contact supersedes strikeouts for a sinkerballer on the precipice of a payday. This platform year is a showcase for one the sport's pre-eminent southpaws, a seven-month sojourn toward a nine-figure salary. Vintage Valdez is worth every penny a team is willing to pay. History suggests the Houston Astros won't be serious bidders but will settle for savoring the final season from a homegrown success story. Such is routine across their golden era. Advertisement Extending it into another October rests, in part, on Valdez's broad shoulders. Injuries have ravaged Houston's starting rotation to an almost unrecognizable state. Valdez and Hunter Brown are its two constants, calming forces amid so much chaos. Brown's ascension into acehood has captivated the city. Valdez already resided there, a fact this magical Friday helped to accentuate. Games in late May only carry so much cachet, but what unfolded across two hours and two minutes at Daikin Park will resonate for however long Houston survives this season. Valdez authored one of his finest starts as an Astro in what is probably his final season with the team. His batterymate, Yainer Diaz, delivered a walk-off home run to reward him with a win he wholeheartedly deserved. 'I think it's one of my best outings in my career so far,' Valdez said through an interpreter. Valdez fired the game's first pitch at 7:12 p.m. Tampa Bay Rays leadoff man Jose Caballero clubbed the second into the Crawford Boxes for a solo home run. 'He got really pissed off,' manager Joe Espada said. 'His stuff just got better. He said 'They're not going to touch me anymore.'' And so they didn't. Valdez delivered perhaps the most dominant start of his major-league career, toying with Tampa's aggressive lineup across nine incredible innings of a 2-1 win. He struck out nine, surrendered two singles after Caballero's solo shot and operated at a pace and pitch count rarely seen in the modern era. Went the distance.#BuiltForThis x @budweiserusa — Houston Astros (@astros) May 31, 2025 Valdez needed 83 pitches to finish the ninth complete game of his career. No major leaguer had thrown fewer in a nine-inning complete game since Kyle Hendricks required 81 to shut out the St. Louis Cardinals on May 3, 2019. No Astro had thrown a complete game on fewer than 85 pitches since Darryl Kile no-hit the New York Mets on Sept. 8, 1993. Advertisement Valdez has a no-hitter of his own. Last season in Arlington, he came within one out of another. Both he and Espada intimated Friday's start was better, even if four Rays reached base. Valdez harnessed impeccable command of his two-seam fastball. Twenty-four of the 31 he threw were either swung upon or called a strike. Fourteen of the 19 balls Tampa put in play against him were groundouts. Shortstop Jeremy Peña fielded nine of them, including the 6-4-3 double play ball that erased Jonathan Aranda's infield single in the fifth. 'We were very aggressive in attacking the zone,' Diaz said through an interpreter. 'The other team, they get scared when we are right on them with the pitches. I think that's what worked today, is that we were aggressive and attacking the zone pretty effectively today.' Only seven teams entered Friday with a higher swing rate than the Rays. Only seven others — including the Astros — swing at more first pitches than Tampa. Five of Valdez's outs arrived on the first pitch of a plate appearance, and he did not reach a three-ball count until the ninth inning. 'It influenced a lot,' Valdez said of the Rays' aggressiveness. 'We know that's a team that attacks a lot on the first pitch. That's why we're professionals here. We study and have plans of attack.' Tampa's inability to hit left-handed pitching has been a hallmark of its season. Only eight lineups entered Friday with a lower OPS against southpaws than Tampa's. Two of the team's best hitters, Brandon Lowe and Josh Lowe, are left-handed. They sat Friday opposite Valdez. Even starting them may not have mattered. Valdez dominated whomever Tampa sent to the plate. He needed fewer than 10 pitches to finish six of his nine innings. The Rays saw just seven pitches in the sixth, one Caballero completed by watching an 0-2 curveball land inside his strike zone. Advertisement The Rays swung 14 times against Valdez's curveball. Seven were whiffs. Six of Valdez's nine strikeouts concluded upon it. Valdez produced a punchout in every inning but the ninth. Nine-hole hitter Taylor Walls singled, and Caballero worked a four-pitch walk, forcing Espada to activate his bullpen, even if he had no intention of using it. 'That's (Valdez's) game, and he was going to stay out there, and he was going to decide the fate of his own game,' Espada said. Only if cleanup man Junior Caminero came to the plate would Espada reconsider. Valdez and Diaz never allowed him to step on deck. Diaz caught Walls trying to steal third base — just the seventh time in 76 attempts an Astros catcher has thrown out a base stealer. 'That was a huge out for us because it gave my pitcher confidence to concentrate on the hitter and not on the base runners,' Diaz said. Concentration is perhaps Valdez's biggest hurdle. Bad calls, cheap hits or misplays behind him often cause him to lose focus or fall apart. Plays like the one Diaz made motivate him. He fell behind Yandy Díaz 2-0 before Yainer Diaz threw out Walls. After he did, Valdez delivered two pitches. Yandy Díaz grounded the second to Peña, who finished the 27th out of a terrific night. 'This is the best I've seen him,' Espada said.
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Blue Jays put Anthony Santander on 10-day IL with left shoulder inflammation, recall Alan Roden
Toronto Blue Jays' Anthony Santander runs to first base after his single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Associated Press
18 hours ago
- General
- Associated Press
Yainer Diaz's walkoff home run backs Framber Valez's three-hitter as Astros beat Rays 2-1
HOUSTON (AP) — Yainer Diaz homered with two outs in the ninth inning and Framber Valdez pitched a three-hitter to lead the Houston Astros to a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. The score was tied 1-1 entering the ninth. Garrett Cleavinger (0-1) struck out Jose Altuve and Christian Walker before Diaz sent a 98 mph sinker into the seats in right field to set off a wild celebration. Valdez (5-4) gave up a homer to Jose Caballero in the first inning and tied a season high with nine strikeouts in his ninth career complete game and second this season. Houston trailed 1-0 when Jake Meyers doubled to center field with no outs in the eighth inning and scored on Zach Dezenzo's single on a grounder. Dezenzo moved to second on a throwing error by second baseman Curtis Mead on the play. Caballero homered on Valdez's second pitch to give the Rays an early lead. The homer was just his second this season and the first since April 9. Rays starter Ryan Pepiot allowed two hits in 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his second strong start after he threw seven scoreless innings in his last start. Valdez retired 12 straight before Jonathan Aranda singled on a chopper to first base to start the fifth. Valdez got right back on track, striking out Danny Jansen before Mead grounded into a double play to end the inning. Valdez sailed through the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, sitting down nine straight batters with three strikeouts. Taylor Walls singled with one out in the ninth before Caballero walked. Walls was caught stealing third and Valdez retired Yandy Díaz on a groundout to complete his night. Walker singled with two outs in the seventh to chase Pepiot. Kevin Kelly took over and was greeted with a single by Diaz. The Astros came away empty when Kelly struck out Cam Smith. Key moment The home run by Diaz allowed Houston to rally after losing the series opener 13-3. Key stat Valdez needed just 83 pitches to complete the game. Up next Rays RHP Zack Littell (4-5, 3.97 ERA) opposes Astros LHP Colton Gordon (0-0, 3.52) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Rays option outfielder Chandler Simpson to Triple-A, reinstate Jake Mangum
HOUSTON — The Tampa Bay Rays optioned rookie Chandler Simpson to Triple-A Durham on Friday to make room on the roster for outfielder Jake Mangum, who was reinstated from the injured list. Manager Kevin Cash said it was tough to send Simpson to the minors considering how well he has been playing.
Associated Press
a day ago
- General
- Associated Press
Rays option outfielder Chandler Simpson to Triple-A, reinstate Jake Mangum
HOUSTON (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays optioned rookie Chandler Simpson to Triple-A Durham on Friday to make room on the roster for outfielder Jake Mangum, who was reinstated from the injured list. Manager Kevin Cash said it was tough to send Simpson to the minors considering how well he has been playing. 'He's been playing really good,' Cash said. 'They're all tough decisions, certainly this one was right at the top of the list. Respect the heck out of what Chandler did. But I do think there's probably a benefit … for him to get down there and get some regular reps.' Mangum, who is also a rookie, has been out since April 24 with a left groin strain. He hit .338 with four doubles and seven RBIs in 21 games this season before the injury. Mangum was batting third and playing center field Friday night against Houston, but Cash said that he would also see time in left field. 'He's able to play both spots, give you good at-bats, runs the bases really, really well,' Cash said. 'So very confident with his defense and hopefully he can pick up right where he left off before his injury because he was doing a lot of good things.' Simpson was called up earlier this season after several injuries in the outfield and gave the Rays a boost with his speed and base-stealing ability. He stole three bases Thursday night in a win over Houston, giving him 19 this season, which ranks third in the majors. Simpson, who played all three outfield positions, was batting .285 with four doubles and 11 RBIs in 35 games. ___ AP MLB:
