Framber Valdez was not satisfied with what was done two weeks ago, and not only continues to contribute to the cause of the Houston Astros, who on Monday defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-0 with another mound jewel from the Dominican, but also continues to write and extending its hitherto nascent history in Major League Baseball
The left-handed shooter pitched a complete game and added the first shutout of his career, after allowing only six hits, giving one walk and striking out eight opponents in his 107-pitch effort (72 strikes) in which he took his 15th victory of the harvest In this way, the native of Sabana de Palenque tied the mark of Jacob deGrom (24, 2018) as the pitchers with the most consecutive quality starts in a single campaign.
“This means a lot to me because it means I’m helping the team when I’m pitching,” Valdez said through a translator. “They help me with their great defense and offense, and I know I’m giving them a chance to win.”
Likewise, with four complete games since 2018 (three of them this year), he left behind the three achieved by his teammate Justin Verlander in that same period. Also, he went on to own the most for a southpaw since that date. (see next box)
| Name | Most complete games for a left-hander since 2018 |
| FRAMBER VALDEZ | 4 |
| Patrick Corbin | 3 |
| Max Fried | 3 |
| Marco Gonzales | 3 |
| Sean Manaea | 3 |
| Mike Minor | 3 |
Breaking into the fight for the Cy Young
Now, with the main Cy Young candidates; Justin Verlander and Shane McClanahan out of action, both due to injury, open up the possibilities for other candidates, including Framber Valdez.
The lefty of the sidereals, for now is fifth in the American League in ERA (2.50), second in wins (15), third in winning percentage (.750), tenth in WHIP (1.11), eighth in strikeouts (169) , first in innings pitched (179.2). Additionally, he posts the seventh-best hit rate per nine innings (6.96) and best home runs per nine frames (0.45).
For his part, Valdez is sixth in FanGraphs WAR among shotgunners on the new circuit at 3.9, indicating that the Dominican brings nearly four wins for his team over a replacement player at his position.
However, although his numbers are not the best compared to other candidates, it is necessary to highlight his consistency and reliability to provide outstanding and constant numbers, start after start, in a rotation that has not had Verlander so far in September .
