WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Spring Training results -- good and bad -- should be taken at slightly less than face value. They are sometimes indicative of how a player may fare once the regular season is underway, but for the most part, they’re inaccurate predictors of what may happen when the games start to count.

This is especially true of veteran players who don’t have to worry about making the team. Pitchers come to Spring Training to build up their workload and fine-tune their pitches, with the added advantage of being able to experiment a little bit without worrying about results.

With all of that said, a pitcher’s goal, regardless of the scenario, is to not get lit up, and in that vein, left-hander Framber Valdez probably feels better about his start in a 5-3 loss to the Tigers on Monday than when he made his spring debut 10 days earlier (with a live BP session between the two). Valdez allowed one run over four innings, struck out four, and threw a total of 50 pitches (35 strikes).

Valdez, as typically low-key about this start as he was about the first, acknowledged that he “felt better than last time,” adding, “I’m getting there. I’m getting to where I want to be. Getting to 60, 70, 80, 90 percent, getting there. I’m getting to where I want to be for the season.”

After his prior start on March 1, during which he yielded three runs over 1 1/3 innings vs. the Nationals, Valdez said later that he was throwing at about half the intensity he normally would. Manager Joe Espada jokingly noted that Valdez was hitting 96 mph on the radar gun, so “if there’s more in there, I’d like to see that.” Espada, speaking after the loss to the Tigers, said he was pleased with the outing as a whole.

“He was in the zone, good sinker, good breaking balls, threw some good changeups also to some righties,” Espada said. “I thought he was really good.”

Valdez had fewer outside distractions than his prior outing, when he wore the PitchCom keypad on his glove and toyed with calling his own pitches. Monday’s outing was more of a traditional experience for the left-hander: at the suggestion of his manager, Valdez went back to the traditional pitcher-catcher pitch-calling cadence with Yainer Diaz. That may have contributed to a more focused outing.

“You’re still going to throw the pitch you want to, regardless of who’s going to press the buttons,” Espada said. “If we could take that from you and have the catcher to do it, and then just focus on executing the pitch or the running game, stuff like that. The pace today was better because he didn’t have to deal with PitchCom.”

Said Valdez: “I tried it last time just to see how easy it would be, just to call pitches myself in between innings. Honestly, I think it’s the same thing as the catcher calling the pitches themselves. I think it’s honestly best just to have them call and wait for my pitch.”

With the wind blowing in at about 11 mph, all pitchers likely benefited from the conditions at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Monday. Even so, Valdez’s effectiveness with all of his pitches -- and specifically, with the changeup and sinker -- aligned with what the Astros are looking for from their left-hander as Opening Day approaches.

Espada is not ready to announce his starter for that March 28 home game against the Yankees, but when he does, the news won’t exactly be a core-shaker. With Justin Verlander opening the season on the IL, Valdez is the Astros’ most accomplished starter, even with the unsteadiness that mostly defined the second half of his season in ’23.

His performance against the Tigers suggests he’ll be ready.

“That clean outing like that, that good game from Valdez, it matters,” Espada said. “I thought the pace of the whole game was good, when he throws strikes and we’re getting quick outs. It’s important.”