Framber Valdez struck out 10 batters over 6 1/3 innings, Alex Bregman and Jon Singleton hit home runs, and the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 on Friday night.
Bregman hit a solo home run to left field in the third inning, while Singleton followed with a 403-foot two-run homer into the second deck in right field in the fourth inning.
Joey Loperfido contributed with an RBI single in the second inning and made a great leaping catch to prevent Shohei Ohtani from getting extra bases in the third. Mauricio Dubón added an RBI double in the eighth inning.
“We like some homers if you ask me,” said Houston manager Joe Espada. “I like to have some slug, but that’s what we are right now. We just got to find ways to score runs.”
Valdez (9-5) allowed four hits and secured his fourth consecutive win.
“He was really, really, really good,” Espada said. “Sinker early in the zone, up to 97 (mph), saw it 98 (mph), and the breaking ball down under. Efficient early. He was locked in. He was really good.”
Valdez has given up three runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts.
“Obviously, it means a lot for me and the team to leave the team in that winning position and giving the team a chance to win,” Valdez said in Spanish through an interpreter.
Ohtani was 2 for 3 with a walk as the Dodgers were shut out for the fifth time this season.
After Ohtani singled to start the game, Valdez retired 16 batters in a row, including the last six by strikeout, before Gavin Lux singled with one out in the sixth. Valdez walked the bases loaded but struck out Teoscar Hernández and got Andy Pages to fly out to end the inning.
The Dodgers had runners on the corners with one out in the seventh inning, but Bryan Abreu struck out Nick Ahmed, and Bregman tagged out Kiké Hernández, who overran second base on Lux’s infield single.
“Framber was good tonight, so you knew it was going to be a tall order to try to put together innings and build innings,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “We stressed him that one inning, but he made pitches when he needed to.”
