Valdez looks to right ship with pennant on the line

HOUSTON -- When Framber Valdez surrendered the baseball earlier than expected last Monday, the Astros' left-hander immediately began to look ahead, hoping for another assignment to pitch in the American League Championship Series.

That chance has arrived, along with an opportunity to send his team to the World Series.

Valdez, 29, will be back on the hill at what figures to be a raucous Minute Maid Park on Sunday evening, tasked with overcoming his rough effort in ALCS Game 2 and the ongoing storyline of a Texas showdown in which the road team has won each contest to date.

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“I think our team is built to be able to handle those types of emotions,” Valdez said through interpreter Jenloy Herrera. “I think they’ll be able to calm down, play the game that we know how to play, feel no pressure because of that.”

In that Game 2 start, the Rangers stunned Valdez with a four-run first inning. The frame saw Valdez commit two errors on a single play, then surrender run-scoring hits to Adolis García, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe.

Valdez made a quick alteration after the top of the first, returning to the clubhouse and shedding his spiffy white cleats in favor of a drabber set of blue spikes.

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The hurler’s second inning breathed life into the old commercial -- “It’s gotta be the shoes,” remember? -- but Astros manager Dusty Baker had the bullpen cranking after Valdez surrendered a leadoff homer to Jonah Heim in the third inning.

Three batters later, Valdez was done for the night, charged with five runs (four earned) on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. Valdez said that evening that he thought his “pitches were good,” adding that “maybe they got a little bit lucky.”

“Despite the two bad outings that I had before this, it can happen to anyone,” Valdez said on Saturday. “It feels good that I do have the opportunity to go out there to show that I can do what I’ve been doing.”

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Baker said that he expects Valdez will remain in control.

“Framber's pitched big games before. I think we're making a lot out of Framber's emotions,” Baker said. “In the last couple of games, it wasn't so much his emotions, it was his location. He wasn't sharp.

"So the main thing is that … you've got to throw strikes and quality strikes in a quality location. If he does that, then emotions never come into play.”

Valdez has lost both of his outings this postseason, also tagged for five runs in 4 1/3 innings by the Twins in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Oct. 8.

It’s a trend that can be traced back further than October. Valdez finished the regular season with a 12-11 record and a 3.45 ERA in 31 starts, but his command waned after the All-Star break (potentially due to a left calf issue that cropped up in July), issuing 31 walks in 87 innings. He permitted just 26 free passes in 111 innings during the first half.

Opponents also began to put the ball in the air more frequently, recording a .722 OPS against Valdez following the break, a jump of more than 100 points from the first half (.603). Those numbers are no secret, especially inside the Astros clubhouse, but Valdez says he is on the case.

“I'm just going to try to do what I did in the regular season, just try to throw strikes, try to attack the strike zone and get outs,” Valdez said. “I have to admit there will be emotions, but it's my job to be really calm.”