Clunkers happen. For as good as Framber Valdez can be on any given day, there are still instances when the left-hander is not on top of his game. Like that game against the Angels earlier this season when he went rogue. Take Saturday’s start against the Mets as another pertinent example, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits in only 4 2⁄3 innings. Valdez clearly didn’t have his best stuff and there was also the issue of his ill-advised toss home to César Salazar to help set the table for New York’s five-run outburst in the second inning. In other words, it was a start to forget for him.
The game was shaping to be one to forget when the Astros faced an early 6-1 deficit. The lineup would have to step up for them to have a chance, not to mention how the pitching staff would need to avoid another implosion. Easier said than done. But with the deficit topping out at five runs in the second inning, it wasn’t an impossible situation to overcome, especially if the bats started to chip away. Well, sure enough, they did chip away, starting in the fourth inning to shorten the deficit from 6-1 to 6-4.
Fourth Inning
- Jeremy Peña’s two-run double
- Jon Singleton’s RBI single
Hey, progress. But the Astros would remain quiet offensively for the next three innings. There are only so many outs in a game to take advantage of. Thankfully, Valdez avoided another implosion while Tayler Scott and Seth Martinez continued to pitch well as they have for most of the season. It bought enough time for the bats to finally take the lead for a second time in this game.
Eighth Inning
- Wild pitch scored Jake Meyers
- Alex Bregman’s two-run single
By chipping away, the Astros turned a 6-1 deficit into a 7-6 lead. Ryan Pressly kept the Mets off the board in the bottom half of the eighth inning, although the Mets weren’t exactly fooled (17 swings, only one whiff). Still, with how this bullpen pitched earlier this season, you can be forgiven for not having a tremendous amount of faith in the later innings. Mauricio Dubón would provide some necessary margin for error, driving in two with his RBI double. A nice bounceback following his rough game at the plate on Friday. Josh Hader ultimately would slam the door on New York, throwing a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 9-6 win.
In terms of the AL West division race, the Astros trimmed their deficit to 4.5 games behind the Mariners following their loss against the Twins on Saturday. The Rangers continue to falter, now with a six-game losing streak to drop them nine games behind Seattle and 4.5 games with Houston. A bullpen game for the Astros likely now takes place on Sunday.