“Learned not to get frustrated” - Astros’ Framber Valdez staying “chill” vs. going “crazy” after hitting Cesar Salazar in game against Yankees

Framber Valdez had a similar result but a totally different feel to his last Astros start against the Texas Rangers than his last one against the New York Yankees. He took the loss in a 4-2 win for the Rangers but avoided losing his cool.

Last week against the Yankees, Valdez crossed catcher Cesar Salazar with a fastball. It seemed like it was his frustration that boiled over, just two pitches after Trent Grisham went yard for New York.

Valdez earned a two-run homer from Rangers' Jake Burger in the sixth innings but was able to stay composed. The Astros had Yainer Diaz behind the plate for the game.

“I learned not to get frustrated, not go crazy and just focus on the next hitter and next pitch I’m going to throw,” Valdez said through his interpreter Otto Loor.

When asked about his incident with Salazar, who made his second and third starts as a backstop catching for Valdez, the Astros pitcher downplayed it as he had previously called his hit non-intentional.

"I recognize that was a bad outing for me," Valdez said. "Between Cesar and me, it was a bad moment, but we keep working and focus on the next outing and focus on keeping on working on my stuff and having a good outing."

Valdez went through seven innings of four-run ball, earning three of those on five hits and one walk. Jake Burger's homer followed an RBI double by Josh Jung. But the 31-year-old southpaw continued with his start, retiring the last four batters.

Against the Yankees, he earned six runs in five innings. The two starts are a part of a torrid stretch since the start of August for Valdez, who has a 1-5 record with a 5.99 ERA since. Overall, he has a 12-9 record with a 3.42 ERA for the season.

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Astros' Joe Espada satisfied with Framber Valdez's work, wants more out of his starter

After the game against New York, Valdez and Salazar were called into the manager's office by Espada to solve the issue. With that past them, Espada reinstated his faith in the left-hander.

"That was a really good outing for him," Espada said. "He bounced back well, and we need more of that."

Espada knows how crucial Valdez is to the rotation. A starter losing his confidence right now could be detrimental to Houston who are locked in battle for the AL West division. With Sunday's loss, the gap has been narrowed down to 2.5 games at the top to both Texas and the Seattle Mariners.