HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros continue their 10-game road trip tonight in St. Louis with the 1st of a 3-game set vs. the Cardinals at Busch Stadium…LHP Framber Valdez (7-5) will start for the Astros vs. Cards LHP Jordan Montgomery (4-7)… tonight will be Valdez’ 1st career appearance vs. STL…the Cards are one of 4 ML clubs that Valdez has not pitched against (STL, HOU, CIN, MIL).
FRAMTASTIC: LHP Framber Valdez has been one of the top hurlers in all of baseball in 2023 and is coming off another stellar performance Tues. night vs. NYM 2ER/8IP)…Pitcher of the Month?: Valdez’ 2.00 ERA (6ER/27IP) in the month of June is the best among AL starters…in his 6 starts since 5/21, he is 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA (7ER/42IP) with a .179 opp. avg. and an 0.83 WHIP…for the season in the AL, he ranks 1st in quality starts (12), 2nd in ERA (2.27), 4th in innings pitched (99.0) and 8th in strikeouts (104).
Since 5/21 – AL Starters
ERA WHIP
- Framber Valdez: 1.50 1. Framber Valdez: 0.83
- Griffin Canning: 2.25 2. JP Sears: 0.87
- Luis Castillo: 2.32 3. Griffin Canning: 0.89
VS. THE CARDS: The current series is the 1st between the Astros and Cardinals since HOU took 2 out of 3 here at Busch Stadium, 7/26-28 of 2019…tonight’s game will be the 712th meeting all-time between the two clubs, with STL holding a 380-331 edge…In The Postseason: The Astros are 7-6 vs. the Cards all-time in postseason play…notably, the two clubs squared off in back-back NLCS’s in 2004-05, with STL taking the ‘04 NLCS in 7 games and HOU winning the ‘05 NLCS in 6 games to win the first pennant in franchise history.
CARDS KILLER: Jose Altuve’s .377 (49×130) career avg. vs. the Cardinals is the highest among active players (min. 100 AB)…it is also his highest career avg. vs. any opponent.
Highest Avg. vs. STL – Active Players
- Jose Altuve: .377
- Freddie Freeman: .360
- Jesse Winker: .352
SUNDAY’S RECAP: The Astros were victorious in extra-innings for the 1st time this season on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, winning in 11 innings, 6-5…Alex Bregman singled home the winning run in the top of the 11th, snapping a 5-5 tie…RHP Seth Martinez hurled a scoreless 11th to secure his 1st career save… RHP Hunter Brown started the game and pitched well (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO)…Jose Abreu and Jeremy Pena each homered…Corey Julks was 2×4 with an RBI-double in the
10th inning.
BROTHER BROWN: RHP Hunter Brown, who registered his 8th quality start on Sunday at Dodger Stadium…has been one of the top rookies in the Majors in 2023, posting a 6-4 mark with a 3.62 ERA in his 14 starts…Brown currently leads all rookies in pitching WAR (1.9) and innings pitched (87.2) while topping AL rookies in wins, ERA and strikeouts (97)…he is 4-1 in his 8 road starts with a 3.21 ERA (17ER/47.2IP).
GRAND SALAMIS: Alex Bregman’s grand slam on Sat. at Dodger Stadium was the 6th of the season for HOU, the 5th of his career and his 2nd in 2023…Bregman and Yordan Alvarez are among 7 MLB players with 2 g. slams in 2023…6 slams for the Astros as a team are 2nd in the Majors to the Dodgers’ 8… the Astros club record for slams in a season is 11, set in 2019.
ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 20-17 (.541) on the road this season, which is T-3rd in the AL…they have finished at .500 or above on 4 of their 5 previous road trips…HOU’s 71-47 (.602) road record since the start of 2022 is tops in the AL.
ROADIES: RHP Hector Neris has allowed just 1 ER and 6 hits in his 17 road appearances for an 0.63 ERA (1ER/14.1IP) and .128 opp. avg…prior to Saturday’s game (2 ER), RHP Phil Maton had not allowed a run in his 1st 14 road appearances…he now has a 1.10 ERA in 16 road app. (2ER/16.1IP).
LONG TRIP: The Astros current, 10-game road trip will be their longest of the season…they were 1-2 at LAD on the 1st stop of the trip prior to yesterday’s off day here in STL…after this 3-game set at Busch Stadium, the Astros will head back to Texas for a 4-game series at Globe Life Field vs. the Rangers (Fri-Mon.).
PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.57) in the Majors…additionally, the Astros starters rank 2nd in the Majors in ERA (3.49).
Lowest Team ERA – MLB
- Houston: 3.57
- Tampa Bay: 3.59
- Minnesota: 3.67
NOTHING FINER THAN YAINER: In June, rookie C Yainer Diaz is hitting .323 (21×65) with 5 doubles, 5 HR and 11 RBI with a .646 SLG pct. and a .975 OPS, the latter ranking 10th in the AL for the month…Diaz had started 12 straight games prior to being off on Sunday.
iNJURY UPDATES: The Astros have been working through several injuries…below are a few updates on sidelined players:
- LF Yordan Alvarez (right oblique strain) hit in the batting cage on Sunday and has been running on the field…was placed on the IL on 6/9 and is expected to be out for approx. 4 weeks or longer
- OF Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery) has been hitting on the field and in the batting cage in recent days…he has also been throwing on the field as he continues to ramp up his baseball activities…his progress over the coming weeks will clear up the timeline for his return.
- RHP José Urquidy (right shoulder discomfort) threw 24 pitches in a bullpen session on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, which was an increase from the 17 pitches he threw in his previous bullpen session.
- Jose Altuve was out of the lineup on Sunday due to soreness in his right heel.
TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
LAST START – 6/20 VS. NYM: allowed 2 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 9 strikeouts in 8.0 innings in a 4-2 win over the Mets, in a game started by former teammate, RHP Justin Verlander… recorded at least 9 strikeouts in a game for the 3rd time this season, last doing so on May 9 at LAA…recorded his 12th quality start of the season, which is T-1st in AL.
STRONG STRETCH: has recorded a 1.50 ERA (7ER/42IP) over his last 6 starts, which is the lowest ERA in a single-season stretch of 6 starts in his career. SOUTHPAW: his 3.20 career ERA (218ER/613.1IP) is lowest of any LHP in AL since ‘18 (min. 500 IP).
DEEP DIVE: since 2022, has held opponents to a .123 batting average against his cutter…is the lowest opponent average against a cutter of all MLB pitchers during that span (min. 150 PAs ending in that pitch type)…owns the highest putaway rate (converting 2-strike pitches into strikeouts) of MLB pitchers this season at 28 % (min. 250 two-strike pitches thrown).
COMPLETE GAME: on May 21 vs. OAK, Valdez delivered the 2nd complete-game shutout of his career, striking out 7 batters while allowing 4 hits and no walks through 9 scoreless innings…was the 1st complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since Valdez’s 1st career complete-game shutout on Sept. 12, 2022 at DET…was the 5th complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since 2017 with Valdez and Justin Verlander tossing 2 of them (May 16, 2018 at LAA, Sept. 1, 2019 at TOR), and Gerritt Cole contributing the other on May 4, 2018…were the fewest hits allowed in Astros complete-game shutout since Verlander’s no-hitter on Sept 1, 2019 at TOR…the last Astros pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout without issuing a walk was Dallas Keuchel on May 30, 2015 vs. CWS…is 1 of 5 AL pitchers to throw a complete-game shutout this season.
LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: owns the 2nd-lowest ERA in the Majors (2.23), trailing only TB LHP Shane McLanahan…in the AL, ranks 1st in pitching WAR (3.3), 2nd in opponent’s OPS (.584), 4th in innings (99.0), 4th in WHIP (1.00) and 8th in strikeouts (104).
REVERSE, REVERSE: has posted reverse splits to open his ‘23 campaign, holding right-handed hitters to a .211 batting average (65×308) while lefties are batting .255 (13×51)…traditionally, has been extremely tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .210 average (91×434) and a .614 OPS throughout his career, allowing just seven homers.
VS. STL: will be making his 1st career appearance against STL…has previously faced Nolan Arenado and Oscar Mercado during his career, holding them to a combined .111 (1×9) batting average…is the 27th different team he’s faced…only teams he has not faced are CIN and MIL (excluding HOU).
STAYING GROUNDED: among AL starters this year, ranks 1st in groundball percentage (58.0)…directly ahead of teammate RHP Hunter Brown (56.8).
- owns a career 66.1% groundball percentage, which ranks as the lowest percentage in the Majors since 2018 (min. 300 IP)…SF RHP Logan Webb is the next-closest over that span at 57.5 %… since ground ball percentage started being tracked in 1987, Valdez career ground ball percentage is the highest ever posted by a starting pitcher (min. 300 IP)
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NOTES:
RECENT REDBIRDS: The St. Louis Cardinals return home from London, England to Busch Stadium for a six-game Interleague homestand with the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros (June 27-29) and New York Yankees (June 30-July 2) … The Cardinals went 5-3 on their 11-day, eight-game international road trip through Queens, New York (2-1), Washington, D.C. (2-1), and across the pond in London, England against the Cubbies (1-1).
ON DECK: The current six-game homestand marks the only time the Cardinals play at Busch Stadium over a 29-day stretch through the All-Star Break (June 15-July 13) … Tonight is the first of 13 consecutive games without an off-day, starting with three straight series against winning teams: (Astros, Yankees, & Marlins). TASTE OF CHICAGO: Beginning with the London Series and leading into the trade deadline (June 24-July 30), 13 of 32 Cardinals games are against teams from the Windy City, while another seven are against Skip Schumaker’s Miami Marlins.
FLIGHT PATTERN: The Cardinals enter today in last place in the NL Central, 8.5 games behind 1st place Milwaukee and 3.0 games behind 4th place Pittsburgh … St. Louis has spent 63 of 90 days in last place on this season’s MLB schedule (April 26-May 19 and May 29-present) … This season is the Cardinals slowest start since beginning 32-45 (.416) in 1990.
CARDS & ‘STROS: The Cardinals have faced the Astros only 11 times since Houston moved to the AL West in 2013, 5th-fewest games vs. any opponent behind the Orioles (9), Yankees (9), Athletics (10), and Rays (10) … Tonight is Houston’s first visit to St. Louis since 2019 as the old NL Central rivals play the opener of a three-game series.
FORMER DIVISION RIVALS: When St. Louis and Houston were NL Central rivals (1994-2012), either the Cardinals or Astros won the division in 12 of 19 seasons, including 10 of 11 times from 1996-2006: St. Louis captured seven division titles outright (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004-06, 2009), the Astros won three (1997-99), and they shared first place in 2001 … The two rivals faced off in memorable back-to-back NLCS (2004-05), while four of eight World Series from 2004-11 featured the Cardinals or Astros (2004, 2005, 2006, 2011).
ON YER BIKE: Immediately following New York and Boston playing in London in 2019, the Red Sox went 5-1 at Toronto (2-1) and at Detroit (3-0) while going 40-38 to finish their season in 3rd place in the AL East (84-78 overall record) … The Yankees went 3-3 at the New York Mets (1-1), and at Tampa Bay (2-2) after London while finishing 49-31 as AL East Champs (103-59 overall record) and ultimately falling to the Astros in the ALCS in seven games.
HEIR JORDAN: Rookie Jordan Walker has hit safely in 15 consecutive games (.385/.458/.673, 20-52) since June 6, MLB’s longest active hitting streak and tied for the 8th-longest by any Major Leaguer this season.
- Walker also opened the season by hitting in his first 12 career games, establishing a Cardinals rookie record to begin a career and tying Eddie Murphy (1912 Philadelphia Athletics) for the MLB record for longest by a player age 20 or younger.
- Among 2023 MLB rookies, only Red Sox Masataka Yoshida (16) has recorded a longer hit streak than Walker’s 15-gamer.
- Walker, Albert Pujols (three in 2001), and Rogers Hornsby (two in 1916) are the only three Cardinals age 21 or younger with multiple double-digit game hitting streaks in the same season.
- With a hit in his next game, Walker ties Erik Pappas (16 games in 1993) for the 3rd-longest rookie hitting streak in franchise history behind 2001 Rookie of the Year Albert Pujols (17) and current Cardinals Bench Coach Joe McEwing, whose 25-gamer in 1999 stands as the 8th-longest overall hit streak in franchise history
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER: LHP JORDAN MONTGOMERY (4-7, 3.69)
TONIGHT’S GAME
NL Leaders: Losses (7, T-4th); Hits (88, T-9th); ERA (3.69, 14th)
- Makes his 16th start of the season and his 124th career (27th as a member of the Cardinals).
- Ranks among MLB lefty leaders in innings pitched (85.1, T7th), Quality Starts (8, T5th) & ERA (3.69, 7th).
- Stands 6th in NL in ERA (1.80) for June & T5th in opp. BA (.202) for the month. Owns a career mark of 9-2 with a 3.00 ERA in June, his most total wins in any calendar month.
- The Cardinals have lost 9 of the 15 games he has started by one-run and/or shutout.
- Posted a 6.04 ERA in the month of May, his highest of any month in his career with more than one start and highest since a 5.90 ERA in five starts with the Yankees in September 2020.
- Went seven consecutive starts (4/13-5/16) with three runs of support or fewer and three with zero (4/13, 4/24, 4/29).
- Is 10-10 with a 3.44 ERA in 26 starts as a member of the Cardinals. St. Louis won 10-of-his-first-13 starts as a Cardinal, but have gone 2-11 over his last 13.
- Leads all Cardinals pitchers with 140 strikeouts since being acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline (8/2/22); Miles Mikolas ranks 2nd with 119.
- Has not walked a left-handed batter since being acquired by the Cardinals (91 total batters faced). Is the only pitcher in MLB who has faced 90+ left-handed batters without a walk to a LHB since 8/1/22.
- Has held his opposition to three earned runs or fewer in 79% (97-of-123) of his career starts.
LAST TIME OUT
- Continued his solid month of June with a 9-3 win over Washington last Tue. (6/20), matching his season high with 7.0 IP. It was his team-high 8th quality start and 1st win on the road since April 6 at Milwaukee.
DATE vs. RESULT DEC IP H R ER BB SO HR NP-S
6/20 WSH W 9-3 W-4 7.0 4 1 1 1 6 0 94-64
2023
- Came away with a no-decision in the Cardinals 8-5 loss to the Giants in 10 innings at Busch Stadium on 6/14. Twirled his second consecutive quality start (7th overall) as the St. Louis lost for the 11th time in his 14 starts this season
- Threw 6.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball on 6/9 vs. CIN for his first win since April 9 at MIL. Snapped a stretch of 10 straight starts without a winning decision. Received more than four runs of support for the 3rd time this season and first since 4/9 at MIL.
- Surpassed 600 strikeouts vs. CIN (6/9), fanning Elly De La Cruz in the first inning.
- Snapped a career-high seven game losing streak vs. CIN (6/9) and 10 straight starts without a Cardinals win dating back to April 13 vs. Pittsburgh. Had never gone 10 consecutive starts without a winning decision in his MLB career (9 starts without a win to begin 2022 season w/NYY).
- Allowed a pair of runs in a no-decision on 5/28 at Progressive Field as Cleveland scored two in the bottom of the 9th, handing the Cardinals a 4-3 walk-off loss.
- Allowed just two home runs in his first seven starts and back-to-back games with two home runs each at CHI (5/10) and vs. MIL (5/16). His streak of four straight starts with a home run (5/5-22) was the 3rd-longest of his career.
- Prior to his 5/10 start at Wrigley, he’d allowed just one earned run in three road games this season, fanning 22 in 19.2 IP. In 10 career road starts with St. Louis, he’s allowed one or fewer earned runs in six of those games.
