Astros Get Back on Track in Windy City Behind Valdez's 20th Straight Quality Start

After two straight losses, the Houston Astros finally defeated the Chicago White Sox, as Framber Valdez recorded his 20th consecutive quality start.

© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Framber Valdez tosses his 20th straight quality start, league-leading 21st on the year. His 20 straight ties Mike Scott’s Astros record from 1986.

— Inside the Astros (@InsideAstros) August 18, 2022

The Houston Astros bounced back on Wednesday and avoided a third straight loss to the Chicago White Sox. 

Framber Valdez set the tone early on and never let up. It was just another walk in the park for the right-hander, as he tallied his league-leading 21st quality start of the season.

This was Valdez's 20th quality start in a row, which makes him just the fifth pitcher to accomplish this feat since 2000. The Dominican Republic native joins the likes of Jacob deGrom, Jake Arrieta, Chris Carpenter, and Johan Santana.

Valdez has been a force on the mound all season, and his success carried over against the White Sox on Wednesday night. The starter went seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and punching out six. 

Valdez worked ahead for the better part of the night, as he threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 28 batters he faced. His earned run average continues to drop (2.72), which is a beautiful thing to watch for the Astros as they inch closer to October.

On the offensive side, Houston took advantage when they had runners in scoring position. Every time the Astros got a runner on third, they found a way to push him across home plate.

The American League leaders got on the board in the top of the first after José Altuve led off with a walk and proceeded to steal second and third. Yordan Álvarez delivered a sacrifice fly to left field to score Altuve and give the Astros a 1-0 lead.

Houston Astros teammates José Altuve and Yordan Álvarez / © Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

In the top half of the fourth, Álvarez singled to right and advanced to third on a double to deep center from Kyle Tucker. Next up was the newly-acquired Trey Mancini, who answered the call with a sacrifice fly to score Álvarez.

Chas McMormick followed that with a double to right field, scoring Tucker and giving Houston a 3-0 lead.

Chicago closed in on that lead after scoring two runs in the bottom half of the frame, but that is all they could muster as the Astros bullpen came in and shut down the White Sox for the rest of the contest.

Ryne Stanek and Ryan Pressly each tossed one inning in relief as they combined to allow just one hit and strike out three. Pressly notched his 24th save of the season, which ranks eighth in baseball this season.

The Astros secured the win on Wednesday before closing out the series in Chicago on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. Luis Garcia will toe the rubber against righty Lucas Giolito.

More From SI's Inside The Astros:

1. Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
2. Grading the Houston Astros MLB Trade Deadline Transactions
3. Jeremy Peña isn't Competing for Rookie of the Year, And That's a Good Thing
4. Houston Astros Poised to Make Another World Series Run
5. Mancini Mania: Behind the Houston Astros' Latest Streak of History
6. Artist Brendan Murphy on His Signature Addition to Minute Maid Park
7. Trey Mancini Gives Houston Astros a Much Deeper Lineup
8. Astros Pass New York Yankees as Best Team in the American League
9. Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball
10. 'Tracking Like Wheels Up': A Long Journey Back For Astros Prospect McKee

---

Make sure to follow Inside the Astros on Twitter @InsideAstrosSI!