HOUSTON -- The one-two punch of Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez makes for a daunting top of the rotation, though it has yielded mixed results for the Astros so far in the 2023 American League Division Series.

While Verlander was able to navigate around some early traffic in Houston's Game 1 victory, Valdez's late-season struggles bled into the postseason as the Astros fell, 6-2, to the Twins in Game 2 on Sunday night at Minute Maid Park.

Valdez did not complete five innings for just the fourth time in 32 starts this year. The Twins plated five runs on seven hits and three walks, with none other than Carlos Correa capping the barrage with a two-run single that chased the Astros' southpaw from the game with one out in the fifth.

Last year, when Houston secured the second World Series title in franchise history, Valdez permitted just four earned runs in 25 innings. The Astros won all four of his starts.

"This guy has been lights-out in the playoffs the last few years," manager Dusty Baker said, "and he just showed he's human."

Correa reached in all three plate appearances against Valdez, drawing resounding boos from his former home crowd whenever he stepped up to bat. He opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning, walked in the third and drove in a pair with the bases loaded in the fifth.

Asked if he debated going to the bullpen instead of allowing Valdez to face Correa for a third time, Baker defended his choice to stick with his starter given Valdez's track record as a ground-ball specialist.

"That was a decision I made because I thought he was the best guy to get out of his own trouble," Baker said.

Though Valdez left a couple of key pitches up -- the curveball to Correa in the first and the sinker that Kyle Farmer sent out to the Crawford Boxes for a two-run shot in the second, for instance -- his final pitch to Correa was more or less where he wanted it.

"I thought [Correa] got a little bit lucky with the sinker there," Valdez said in Spanish through interpreter Jenloy Herrera. "It was going down to the ground. He was able to get to it."

Added catcher Martín Maldonado: “It’s a good pitch, down. Normally a lot of guys [get a] ground ball with that pitch for a double play. He stayed on it and lifted it in the air. That’s part of the game.”

After earning his second straight All-Star nod with a strong first half, Valdez scuffled down the stretch. He put together some solid outings in that span -- including his brilliant no-hitter against the Guardians on Aug. 1 -- but the 29-year-old left-hander logged a 4.66 ERA in the second half, his worst mark in a 14-game span since his 2019 rookie season.

Several trends from Valdez's disappointing second half bled into his Game 2 loss. Valdez's command waned after the All-Star break, as he issued 31 walks in 87 innings, compared with 26 in 111 in the first half. 

Though he finished the year ranked in the 91st percentile in ground-ball rate, Valdez gave up more contact in the air as the season progressed, notably surrendering 12 of his 19 total home runs to opponents in the second half. Opponents recorded a .722 OPS against Valdez after the All-Star break, up more than 100 points from the first half (.603).

"Last year, I was dominant," Valdez said. "This year, at some point, I was dominant. I had some ups and downs. But obviously, the priority is to … help the team win, try to keep the games close. [It] didn't happen today, but like I said, just going back to hard work and staying focused, [and] try to do it next time."