Framber Valdez shines again in preparation for his Opening Day start
This game had some positives for Astros fans. First, Framber Valdez continues to look sharp, going four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, no walks, with six strikeouts. However, Bryan King and Josh Hader both allowed a run each in relief, although Hader’s was unearned.
Jalen Beeks, recently acquired from the Pirates, had his Spring debut, allowing a home run in the ninth.
The Astros’ bats as a team have been very quiet this Spring, particularly many that the team will count on to counteract the losses of Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. Good news here. Jose Altuve was 2-3, Yordan Alvarez was 1-2 with a walk, Jon Singleton and Jake Meyers each had a hit. But the big blast came from red-hot Jeremy Pena, whose grand slam highlighted a six-run sixth inning that accounted for all Astros scoring. Pena’s Spring OPS is 1.250. It should be noted that Declan Cronin was the Marlins’ pitcher, a 27-year-old who has never pitched in the majors.
Tomorrow, the AStros play the Mets at 12:10 CT, with Steven Okert taking the mound for the Stros.