Framboso! Lefty lifts Astros to cusp of AL title
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
BOSTON -- The mental side of Astros pitcher Framber Valdez 's game has been the primary reason he has made the transformation from a fledgling Major Leaguer who struggled with his control in 2018 and ’19 to one of the most productive left-handers in the game the last two seasons.
Valdez’s work following the ’19 season with psychologist Andy Nunez in his native Dominican Republic helped him focus on the mound and slow the game down. So when the Astros were batting around in the sixth inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, Valdez closed his eyes and did some meditation in the dugout to clear his mind.
“I hit a reset button by letting go of whatever happened the inning prior to that, and after I do that, I focus on what batters are coming next,” Valdez said. “Visualizing myself and what I want to do.”
Few others could have visualized Valdez being able to put the Astros on his broad shoulders and lead them to a 9-1 win over the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS with a masterful performance. Houston returns home for Game 6 on Friday needing one win to reach the World Series for the third time in five seasons.
“Like I said before the game, everybody talks about momentum, but momentum is controlled by the pitcher,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.
Relying on his sinker and curveball, Valdez threw eight innings, allowing three hits and one walk with five strikeouts in one of the Astros’ best outings of the season. Houston starting pitchers had thrown just a combined 6 2/3 innings in the first four games of the ALCS, including 2 2/3 innings by Valdez in Game 1.
“I had a really ugly outing and I felt humiliated after that first outing,” he said. “I set my mind on not letting it happen again. I did everything I could, worked as hard as I possibly could to come back and have success in this outing, because I didn’t want something like that to happen again. I was dead set on turning it around.”
In postseason series with the current 2-3-2 format that have been tied 2-2, teams winning Game 5 on the road before going back home for Games 6 and 7 have finished off the series win 18 of 23 times (78 percent). This excludes 2020, when the LCS and World Series were played at neutral sites.
“You can feel confident all you want to, but those guys are going to fight you until the end,” Baker said.
Yordan Alvarez led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with a solo homer in the second inning off Chris Sale and a two-run double in the Astros’ five-run sixth that helped them open a 6-0 lead. Houston had scored 15 unanswered runs in the series before a seventh-inning homer by Rafael Devers got Boston on the board.
“We just needed to stay focused,” said first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who matched Alvarez by going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. “We just needed to focus on the job we needed to do and just take it one game at a time.”
Valdez didn’t allow a baserunner -- or a ball hit out of the infield -- until Devers led off the fifth inning with a single. He hit J.D. Martinez with the next pitch, prompting Baker to make an unusual trip to the mound to check on his left-hander.
“I call him Framboso,” Baker said. “I said, ‘Man, you're the best. Man, just be natural and just do your thing.’”
Valdez thought Baker might have come to take him out.
“It was surprising more than anything,” Valdez said. “Usually the pitching coach comes out to talk to me first and Dusty comes out to take me out of the game. The first thing I did was look back to the bullpen to see if anybody was out there. He came out and told me to breathe. You can’t let a [hit-by-pitch] and a hit take you out of your confidence.”
Valdez, who led the Majors in ground-ball rate in the regular season, promptly got Hunter Renfroe to hit into the first of his two double plays. Valdez worked a 1-2-3 eighth and finished with 13 groundouts and two flyouts. Of the 20 batted balls against him, 13 had a negative launch angle and 12 had an expected batting average of .160 or lower (based on quality of contact).
“I think their guy was amazing,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He was throwing harder than usual. The ball was moving. We didn't hit the ball hard at all. I think we had two fly balls, if I'm not mistaken, and a home run, right? Credit to him. His sinker was unreal tonight. Unreal. You tip your hat to him and you move forward.”
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Dusty Baker is partly right. In the sport of Baseball "momentum" is the great intangible that extends to the entire team. Right now the Astro's have it. Their next meeting with the Red Sox will be Friday night in Houston - a game the Astros should win.
It's Houston's year.
I am rooting for the Astros too, but remember that Boston has proved themselves capable of rallying to win a series. In baseball "it ain't over 'til it's over". But I think you are correct that the Astros will win the ALCS. They have home field advantage for the last game(s) and are returning with momentum.
I am hoping to see a World Series of the Astros vs. the Braves.
Me too! The Braves had a great team in the 90's, it seemed like they could win everything except for the World Series. This Braves team isn't that good.
I say it's Houston all the way.
Can't stand either one of these two teams. I'm hoping the Atlanta Braves win it all although I cant name more than three players on their team.
Too many one sided games in the American League playoffs this year to create much objective excitement.
Not a fan of the Astros or their manager.
Go Braves.
A little prediction for tonight - The Red Sox already know they're beat!
Houston wins!
I hope you are right. The 11-2 loss by Atlanta yesterday reminds us that baseball does deliver curve balls.
Baseball is all about momentum, at least from the betting perspective. Houston wins tonight. You can take it to the bank.
And they win the World Series too!
The Braves had the mo too. Arguably stronger than that of the Astros.
Look, I want the Astros to win too, but I recognize that this still is a baseball game and momentum can shift with a single swing of a bat.
Here is to the Red Sox failing to rally.
Just look at their faces tonight.
I am going to watch their swings and their hustle on the field. This is not the first underdog situation for the Red Sox organization.
Did you watch the games at Fenway? They are beat and they know it.
I am not going to psychoanalyze players. Do you think the Braves, for example, are beat after their asses were handed to them with the 11-2 loss yesterday? I do not.
Not neccessarily. Not everything equates to momentum. Have you ever analyzed a losing streak or a batting slump? I firmly believe that the moment a hitter recognizes that he is in a slump, it gets worse. It is a psychological thing. It's like walking into a casino and spotting the shooter at the crap table who is sweating with a small stack of chips in front of him (especially if he is gambling with his paycheck) - all you have to do is bet against him!
Yes batting slumps have plenty of psychology. Psychology (mindset) has something to do with all sports (and indeed all endeavors).
I am not going to psychoanalyze the Red Sox as a team; have fun, but I think that is a silly endeavor. I will observe their hitting and fielding and go based on that evidence.
I hope they fall apart. But I know (repeating myself) that baseball is unpredictable. I would have never expected, for example, the Braves to lose 11-2 yesterday; especially given they struck first with 2 runs in the first inning.
Tell that to Neil Grasso.
But I know (repeating myself) that baseball is unpredictable. I would have never expected, for example, the Braves to lose 11-2 yesterday; especially given they struck first with 2 runs in the first inning.
Yes, in what I regard as cold games (no mojo)
Astros shut out the Red Sox 5 to 0. Now that is something we can both celebrate.
Now, let's hope the Braves can do the same to the Dodgers tomorrow.
Would be nice to have Astros vs. Braves for the World Series.
What a game!
Now that is something we can both celebrate.
We can. Remember - You take care of the critical thinking and technology and I'll take care of betting Baseball.
Would be nice to have Astros vs. Braves for the World Series.
Because?
That is undeserved gloating Vic. The game could have easily gone the other way.
LA would not be in the series again; gives the Braves a chance for glory.
No gloating. Everyone can read the comments about momentum and the singling out of that game made prior to the game. You were the one questioning my reasoning, right?
The game could have easily gone the other way.
The Red Sox only managed to have 2 hits in 9 innings.
The game could have easily gone the other way.
I see what you mean. That's fine by me.
We both wanted the Astros to win; I questioned your confidence in your ability to predict the outcome of the next game in a championship series.
My comment, and history shows this to be quite true, is that baseball games are often surprising and a swing of the bat can change the momentum of a game. A team could double digit shut out an opponent only to lose the next day to the same opponent, and vice-versa. Teams that seem down in the count will sometimes rally to win a series. Teams down by 5 runs can rally in the 9th. To wit, major changes happen all the time in this sport.
For a recent example look at:
The variables at play go far beyond the batting in the last game.
I'll never understand you. I was talking about one game that was about to take place. I called it perfectly and you still want to debate it.
It was a two hit shut out.
I just explained this to you in detail.
I am not debating anything. I stated in clear terms what I stated yesterday.
I wanted the Astros to win but part of the fun of baseball is that it is so damned unpredictable. And that is clearly shown in baseball history. I think it is silly to be supremely confident that one can pick the winner of the next game in a 3-2 championship series.
Had you not gloated, I would have not reminded you of my position.
Cant go for the Astros because of the cheating. They still have players on the team that cheated a few years ago.
I dont like the Red Sox either though.
They all try to steal signs. As for the Red Sox, they are wrapped up in the history of Baseball. One of the original teams. Why wouldn't you like them?
Yeah, life moves on. They fucked up, they paid the price. I am not going to let that spoil my enjoyment of the game of baseball.
Agreed