Framber Valdez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez allowed just one run while pitching a complete game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. He earned the win as Houston snuck by with a 2-1 victory. In addition to the one earned run over nine innings of work, Valdez's final line included three hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. He improved to 5-4 on the year and saw his strikeout rate dip ever slightly to 8.42 K/9. Even more impressive are his 2.77 BB/9 and 56.5 percent ground ball rate. Very few MLB pitchers have demonstrated as much length as Valdez, who now has at least one complete game in each of the last five seasons. He remains a dependable option for the Astros and fantasy managers.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez had a strong start on Sunday, posting seven innings of three-run ball in a 4-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Valdez allowed six hits and a walk while striking out eight in a solid performance. It was the third start in a row of seven-plus innings for the lefty, who appears to have found his stuff again after a few rough starts early in the season. He now has a 3-4 record with a 3.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts over 63 IP. While the numbers don't fly off the page, Valdez is one of the best bets for volume in all of baseball while maintaining solid ratios and strikeouts, making him an elite option in fantasy.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez turned in a gem in his team's 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Valdez allowed one run on six hits over eight innings while striking out seven and walking one, but had to settle for a no-decision in the outing. The veteran southpaw notched 14 swinging strikes in the outing while lowering his ERA to 3.54 on the year. Valdez will take a 2-4 record into his next start, which is scheduled for Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.