PITTSBURGH — Much of the baseball world was introduced to left-hander Framber Valdez this past postseason. Although he made his MLB debut in 2018, the uniquely built (5-11, 240 pounds) Astros starter made a name for himself with four playoff starts this past fall, including a pair off victories in the World Series.
With the changes made to the MLB schedule, the Pirates will now see more of Valdez and other pitchers throughout the American League — not that they’re going to be too terribly excited after what Valdez did to them on Monday at PNC Park.
The 29-year-old lefty changed speeds and induced a bunch of weak contact while shutting down the Pirates during a 8-2 loss for the home team, one that was compounding by Roansy Contreras’ inability to do the same against Houston’s hitters.
