JUPITER, Fla. -- A year ago, the Astros were left scrambling after left-hander Framber Valdez broke his finger in his first start of the spring and wound up missing the first two months of the season. The club responded by signing veteran Jake Odorizzi, and Valdez returned in late May, making 22 starts in the regular season.

The first spring start of Grapefruit League play this year went much more smoothly for Valdez, who threw 30 pitches in three scoreless innings in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. Valdez also debuted a cutter he picked up in the offseason that he hopes to add as a viable weapon with his sinker and curveball with an elite spin rate.

Valdez plunked Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong with the cutter in the third inning, which accounted for his only baserunner. He says the pitch is a work in progress. 

“I squeezed it a little bit too much when I threw it, but after that, I made an adjustment and threw it for strikes and that’s the plan going forward -- continue working that cutter and making adjustments until it’s ready for the season,” he said. 

Valdez, dubbed a “quick healer” by manager Dusty Baker, made 22 starts last year, going 11-6 with a 3.14 ERA. The emergence of Valdez as an effective big league starter in 2020 was the result of him honing his control. He walked two batters per nine innings (down from 5.6 in 2019), but last year walked 3.9 batters per nine. Valdez said first-pitch strikes are the key for him.

“After that, it’s going to open the whole playbook on all the other pitches you can follow up with,” he said. 

Now that he’s physically 100 percent this spring, Valdez is once again placing an emphasis on the mental side of his game, which he credited for getting his career on track in 2020. 

“I feel 100 percent prepared for the season,” he said. “Right now, it’s just some adjustments and [continuing] to get ready. I feel physically well and mentally well and ready for the ’22 season.”

Lack of best stuff not worrying Pressly
All-Star closer Ryan Pressly made his Grapefruit League debut Monday with a 1-2-3 fourth inning against the Cardinals. He threw 13 pitches -- seven fastballs, three sliders and three curveballs -- against a Cardinals lineup that included Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, Tyler O’Neill, Harrison Bader and DeJong, and he said he didn’t have his best stuff.

“It’s kind of when you know you have those days and see the guys, you have to figure out a way to go pitch to them, and that’s what I did today,” he said. “You have to figure out how to work through some things, and you’re not going to feel great every single time you take the ball. It is what it is.”

Pressly averaged 92.6 mph on his fastball, which was 3 mph below the 95.4 mph he averaged last year in the regular season. He said it’s the product of pitching in the fourth inning of a Grapefruit League game with only 3,116 fans in the stands.

“Relivers run off adrenaline, and there’s no adrenaline here,” he said. “You have a couple of thousands of people here watching you. I’m not really worried about velocity. I’d rather be 92, 94 than 97, 98 [and] all over the place. I faced some really good hitters today, and I was able to get them out with not my best stuff.”

Javier likely to open season in bullpen
Baker said Monday that right-hander Cristian Javier will probably begin the season in the bullpen, which isn’t a surprise. Javier began last season in the rotation but moved to the bullpen after Valdez came off the injured list in late May. With starting pitchers likely not stretched out to begin the regular season, the Astros need Javier to eat up innings in the bullpen.

“We feel he’ll be more resilient in that situation and more accustomed to it, especially with the need of a long guy, a quality long guy,” Baker said. “We expect him to have a good year.”

What’s more, the Astros likely won’t need a fifth starter until the second week of the season, and they already have five starters -- Justin Verlander, Valdez, Luis Garcia, José Urquidy and Odorizzi. The Astros still see Javier as a starter long term, and he’d move back in the rotation if there’s an injury or perhaps during a stretch starting in late April, when they play 33 games in 34 days.

“We’re trying to stretch him out soon but also keep his arm resilient to spot start or in the bullpen,” Baker said. “That’s a very valuable guy, especially when you’re going to get that 13-pitcher limit [in May]. He’s big in the equation.”

Javier -- who threw 27 pitches over two scoreless innings Monday, striking out three batters and walking one -- had a 3.93 ERA in 27 games across 52 2/3 innings in relief last year and a 3.14 ERA in nine starts (48 2/3 innings). He allowed 16 homers in the regular season and three more in the World Series for 19 total in 112 innings.

“I feel good about [this role],” Javier said. “I came mentally prepared to just help the team. I’m going to come ready and help the team with that and just stay prepared to do anything they ask me to.”