Other than the messy fourth inning, Astros starter Framber Valdez was solid.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Framber Valdez’s volatility can usually be canceled out by an unflappable presence behind the plate. On occasion when Valdez comes unglued, the Astros look to their veteran catcher to hold things together.Valdez worked around traffic in each of his first two frames and retired the side in order in the third. But he began the fourth by issuing a leadoff single and a one-out walk before Stephen Piscotty bounced a single into left field.
With the bases loaded, Seth Brown tapped a ball a foot onto the infield grass. Catcher Martín Maldonado grabbed it but was slow to turn around, and Sean Murphy evaded Maldonado’s tag at the plate as Brown reached first base safely. Valdez and Maldonado exchanged frustrated glances. A passed ball during the next at-bat allowed the tying run to score before Oakland took the lead on a wild pitch. It would remain intact as the A’s defeated the Astros, 3-2, to even the series at a game apiece., he recovered and pitched eight innings for his MLB-leading 14th consecutive quality start on Saturday. After the A’s took the lead, Valdez walked the next batter before retiring 13 in a row.
Other than the messy fourth inning, Valdez was solid with two earned runs and one unearned on four hits, two walks and three strikeouts. He threw 96 pitches, including 60 strikes.Opposite Valdez, A’s rookie lefthander Zach Logue made his sixth big-league start after debuting in April. Logue had never faced an Astros hitter, but after surrendering an RBI single in the second inning he retired 11 consecutive batters.
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