FRAMBER VALDEZ

Framber Valdez struck out 10 in five shutout innings to lead the Houston Astros to 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the regular-season finale.

Drew Rasmussen pitched seven effective innings and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season, beating the Houston Astros 7-3.

Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander checking out the Astros latest postseason run with you. Houston has now clinched the AL West, winning the division for the 5th time in the past 6 seasons, and are yet again closing in on 100 wins.

Framber Valdez set an MLB record with his 25th straight quality start, and Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado had four RBIs each to help the Houston Astros build an early lead in an 11-2 rout of the Oakland Athletics.

Framber Valdez set a major league record with his 25th straight quality start, and Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado had four RBIs each to help the Houston Astros to an 11-2 rout of the Oakland Athletics.

Seth Brown homered and drove in four runs, Cole Irvin overcame a rocky start and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 8-5.

Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander writing to you today.

Framber Valdez pitched his first career shutout and the Houston Astros beat the Detroit Tigers 7-0.

Alex Bregman and Trey Mancini hit two of Houston’s five home runs, and the AL West-leading Astros defeated the Los Angeles Angels, 12-4, on Sunday for their 90th win of the season.

Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander with the Houston Astros newsletter.

Framber Valdez threw his 23rd straight quality start but Corey Seager scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and the Texas Rangers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Hunter Brown dazzled in his major league debut, scattering three hits across six impressive innings as the Houston Astros beat Texas 1-0 to hand the Rangers their ninth straight defeat.

Happy Friday! Chancellor Johnson checking in with this week’s Astros newsletter.

Framber Valdez won his sixth straight decision while pitching his 22nd consecutive quality start and Jose Altuve homered, doubled and scored twice as the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Justin Verlander was pulled after pitching six no-hit innings in his major league-leading 16th win and the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in Carlos Correa’s return to Houston.

Framber Valdez threw seven solid innings, Yordan Alvarez drove in a run and scored one, and the Houston Astros beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2.

Yoán Moncada came through with the go-ahead single in the eighth inning for the second straight game, and the Chicago White Sox rallied to beat the Houston Astros 4-3.

Framber Valdez threw seven shutout innings, Martín Maldonado and Alex Bregman homered with three RBIs each, and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 7-3.

Leody Taveras drove in a career-high five runs, including a bases-clearing double as part of a five-run 10th inning as the Texas Rangers beat the Houston Astros 8-4.

Trey Mancini homered twice, including his first career grand slam, and drove in five runs and the Houston Astros defeated the Cleveland Guardians 9-3.

Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0.

Sandy Alcantara threw his major league-leading third complete game and the Miami Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0.

Juan Soto is set for his San Diego debut at home Wednesday night against Colorado.

Justin Verlander pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning and won his MLB-leading 14th game, Aledmys Díaz hit two homers and Yordan Alvarez slugged his 30th home run of the season as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 11-1.

Jose Altuve and Jeremy Peña hit back-to-back home runs off Robbie Ray to begin the game, and the Houston Astros roughed up the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner in an 8-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners that completed a three-game sweep.

Justin Verlander became the major leagues’ first 13-game winner, striking out nine and topping 99 mph in his final inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners 3-1.

Hey KPRC 2 Insiders, it’s Ari Alexander. I just got back from Los Angeles where I spent three days covering the Astros at the All-Star Game and festivities. I got to talk with Justin Verlander, Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez along with Dusty Baker plus a couple of other local guys including Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals/The Woodlands HS), Justin Crawford (Phillies Draftee/Son of Carl Crawford) and Ivan Melendez (Diamondbacks Draftee/Texas).

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game.

Jeremy Peña drove in the tiebreaking run with a single in the 10th inning of the Houston Astros’ 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Shohei Ohtani won his sixth straight start by striking out 12 in six innings and also hit a two-run triple in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani repeated as a two-way All-Star when he was picked for the AL pitching staff, two days after he was elected to start at designated hitter.

José Urquidy allowed four hits over a career-high eight innings to win his third straight decision, helping the Houston Astros keep rolling with an 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Hey guys, it’s Ari Alexander and it’s been another successful week for the Houston Astros, who are barely behind the New York Yankees for the best record in baseball.

Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier and Emmanuel Rivera all homered as the Kansas City Royals roughed up Cristian Javier early and held on for a 7-4 win over the Houston Astros.

Angels star Mike Trout finished 0 for 11 with nine strikeouts in a three-game series and Los Angeles hitters fanned 20 times overall in a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has struck out in seven straight at-bats during a tough series in Houston.

Martín Maldonado homered twice and Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Chas McCormick added a home run each as the Houston Astros built a big lead early and didn’t let up in a 9-1 rout of the Los Angeles Angels.

Kyle Tucker had a three-run homer and a stolen base, Yordan Alvarez hit his 23rd home run and Framber Valdez pitched a gem to lift the Houston Astros over the New York Mets 9-1.

Aaron Judge lined a game-winning single on the eve of his salary arbitration showdown, capping a four-run ninth inning that included Aaron Hicks’ tying three-run homer off closer Ryan Pressly in the New York Yankees’ 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros.

American League powerhouses square off when Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees host Yordan Álvarez and the Houston Astros in the opener of a highly anticipated four-game series Thursday night.

Yordan Alvarez homered twice off Carlos Carrasco as the Houston Astros jumped on him early and held on for a 5-3 win over the New York Mets Wednesday.

Michael Brantley’s grand slam was one of three homers in a 10-run sixth inning that propelled the Houston Astros to a 13-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Astros starter Luis Garcia and reliever Phil Maton each threw an immaculate inning — nine pitches, three strikeouts — and Martín Maldonado keyed a six-run first inning that sent Houston over the Texas Rangers 9-2.

The Miami Marlins got a solid start from rookie Braxton Garrett and Jon Berti drove in two runs to help them extend their winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesús Aguilar each hit two home runs to power the Miami Marlins to their fourth straight win with a 7-4 interleague victory over the Houston Astros Friday night.

Yordan Álvarez hit his 16th home run of the season and Framber Valdez won his fifth straight start for the Houston Astros, who beat the Kansas City Royals 7-4.

Salvador Perez broke a scoreless tie with a two-run homer in the sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals ended a five-game losing streak, beating the Houston Astros 6-0.

Yordan Álvarez hit a pair of no-doubt homers, Framber Valdez pitched a two-hitter for a rare complete game and the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 5-1.

Ryan Pressly got Luis Torrens to ground into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, preserving the Houston Astros’ 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Kyle Tucker led the offense with a three-run homer to help the Houston Astros to a 7-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Grinning the whole time, Zack Greinke slipped into his Astros warmup jacket, joked with Freddie Freeman and got a friendly pat from the Atlanta star first baseman. Because after Game 5 of the World Series, they could become almost extinct. There’s a good chance Major League Baseball will bring the designated hitter to the National League next year — likely forever.

Looking calm and poised a night after overamped rotation-mate Framber Valdez was chased early, José Urquidy gave the Astros’ bats a chance to break out.

Valdez allowed one run in eight sterling innings of a win over the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS, giving the Astros optimism that he could help stabilize a rotation rocked by the loss of staff ace Lance McCullers Jr. Instead, he permitted a playoff career-high five runs while getting just six outs in a 6-2 loss.

The Astros lefty was perfect through four, took a two-hit shutout into the seventh and became the first pitcher in the 2021 postseason to finish eight innings on Wednesday.

Matt Olson and Chad Pinder each homered and the Oakland Athletics beat Houston 8-6 Friday night, cutting the Astros’ edge for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs. Houston leads the White Sox by one game for home field in their best-of-five Division Series matchup next week. The AL West champion Astros also own the tiebreaker after going 5-2 against AL Central champion Chicago this season.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. Support UsVirtually every analysis of the Houston Astros going into the 2021 season described the team in the same way. Despite the loss of George Springer in free agency, this was still a very good team at the plate and in the field. At least one of those can be checked off the list as the Astros reportedly signed McCullers to a five-year extension worth $85 million that begins after the 2021 season. And, at roughly $17 million per season, his salary is not going to break the bank.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. So, the Astros did what they needed to do and signed free agent Jake Odorizzi reportedly to a two-year deal. And as cautious as the Astros have been about making significant signings in the offseason, they didn't have much choice. If he does, he could eat 130 to 150 innings for the Astros this season and be a quality replacement for Valdez. For now, the Astros will regroup without him and Valdez and hope Odorizzi can stabilize a lineup that has been shaken only a couple weeks into spring training.

For the second straight night, the Astros won in an elimination game against Tampa Bay 4-3, this time forcing a Game 6 on Friday after going down 3-1 in this best-of-seven series. Unlike Game 4, however, this one began and ended in dramatic fashion with bookend home runs by two of the team's biggest stars. Sandwiched in between was some incredible pitching by both teams in a game that was driven entirely by the long ball. Well, Houston still isn't good for guys named Nick Anderson and the walk off home run was against Rays reliever Nick Anderson (no relation). The Astros led off the game with a solo shot from George Springer, his nineteenth postseason home run.

George Springer had two more dingers in the Astros win over the A's. On Wednesday, the Astros can close it out with a three-game sweep and prepare to meet the winner of the Rays-Yankees matchup. Jim Crane needs to open up his wallet for George Springer. With two home runs, Springer now has the second most postseason home runs in history at Dodger Stadium. With his impending free agency, it seems clearer than ever that the Astros should do whatever they must to retain him.

But, in the ninth inning of a pitcher's duel, the Astros came through with a 4-1 win thanks to walks, a fortunate error and timely hitting. In some ways, it was reminiscent of previous Astros teams taking advantage of unforced errors and being disciplined at the plate. With two outs in the ninth, the Astros should have been off the field and headed to the bottom of the inning tied at one. For all the worries over Astros pitching in light of Justin Verlander's injury and the loss of Gerrit Cole in free agency, Valdez is one of the real bright spots in their rotation's future. On Tuesday, he was the reason they won Game 1.

Josh Reddick #22 of the Houston Astros celebrates with Jose Altuve #27 after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park. The victory extends Houston's winning streak over the Mariners to nine games and improves the Astros to 14-1 against them this season. Reddick, who hadn't homered since June 28 before Thursday night's shot, put the Astros on top with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Houston starter Framber Valdez allowed just two hits, but walked a career-high six and gave up three runs in four innings. Lopes singled, stole second base and advanced to third on an error by catcher Martin Maldonado with no outs in the fourth.

TORONTO - Cavan Biggio and Teoscar Hernandez each hit a two-run home run, Clay Buchholz pitched into the sixth inning to win for the first time in more than a year, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 6-4 Saturday. Bo Bichette and Brandon Drury each had two hits as the Blue Jays won for the second time in five games. Former Astros closer Ken Giles struck out George Springer, Altuve and Alex Bregman in the ninth for his 18th save in 19 opportunities. Yuli Gurriel hit a two-run double off Derek Law in the sixth, but Biggio responded with a two-out RBI double off Joe Smith in the bottom half. Blue Jays: RHP Wilmer Font (3-3, 4.35) will open for the Blue Jays Sunday.

Martin Maldonado #12 of the Astros receives a high five from Abraham Toro #13 after hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)HOUSTON - Jose Altuve homered to cap a seven-run eighth inning, Framber Valdez grinded through six gritty innings and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-2 Sunday. Alex Bregman, Abraham Toro, Josh Reddick and Altuve all drove in runs in the eighth. The Astros hope to increase his activity over the coming days including being able to do batting practice and fielding ground balls. Astros: RHP Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77 ERA) will start the series opener against the Rays on Tuesday after a day off.

Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park (Bob Levey/Getty Images). Jung Ho Kang added a two-run homer for Pittsburgh. Kevin Newman had four hits, capped by a two-run homer, to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games - longest in the majors. Bell gave Pittsburgh the early lead with his two-out, two-strike home run to the second deck in right field. The Pirates padded the lead in the second when Elias Daz doubled with no outs and scored on a double by Dickerson.