Houston Astros Starting Pitcher Surging in Stretch Run, Key to Next World Series Run?

Which pitcher on the Houston Astros has been pitching great during the stretch run?

Sep 12, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) delivers a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Minute Maid Park. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

With about two weeks to go in the regular season for the Houston Astros, it has once again been a very good year. 

The Astros are getting closer to clinching the American League West, as they are holding off the Seattle Mariners. Despite Houston being in control of the division now, it wasn’t smooth sailing for them all season. 

In the first month of the year, the Astros were 10-15, as they got off to a shockingly poor start. The slow start put them in a bit of a hole to kick off the campaign, but Houston has bounced back nicely. 

One of the reasons for the strong season by the Astros has been because of their pitching staff. Despite a lot of injuries to the rotation, the depth of talent for the franchise in the pitching department has paid off. 

One of the pitchers who has really taken a big step forward and is having a great year is left-hander, Framber Valdez. Recently, Brian Murphy of MLB.com spoke about Valdez as a player who has been surging toward the end of the season. 

“The Astros, after a sluggish start to the season, are rolling toward their seventh AL West title in eight years. A lot of credit goes to Valdez, who is one of the reasons why Houston's rotation is looking elite again. The left-hander's results were OK through the first four months of the season (3.56 ERA), but he has been simply brilliant since the start of August.”

Like most of the players on Houston, Valdez got off to a slow start this year. In May, the 30-year-old had an ERA over 5.00 and a record of 2-3 during that month. However, despite the poor month, the southpaw has really pitched well since. 

In July, Valdez had a 4-0 record with a 2.90 ERA. He followed that up in August with some even more impressive numbers, with a 3-1 record and 1.59 ERA. While there is still some time in September, the talented lefty has an ERA of 0.68 so far. 

The emergence of Valdez as the new ace of the staff has been great for the franchise, as he will surely be their Game 1 starter in a playoff series. Due to the struggles of Justin Verlander this season, having someone step up as the new ace was needed. 

As we head into the stretch run, Valdez has really pitched well for the Astros the last few months.