Framber Valdez tossed seven strong innings — with a season-high 10 strikeouts — and Yainer Diaz recorded a three-hit game to pace the Houston Astros to a 9-1 interleague victory over the visiting Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
The Astros extended their winning streak at Minute Maid Park to eight games, their longest such home streak since a nine-game stretch from June 19 to July 5, 2022. Houston improved to 15-4 over its last 19 games and 23-11 since June 1, the best record in the majors during that span.
Valdez (8-5) allowed one run on six hits and one walk. The Astros improved to 6-0 in the last six starts in which Valdez worked at least seven innings.
Valdez faced the minimum through three innings, benefitting from inning-ending double plays in the second and third. He struck out Marlins designated hitter Josh Bell to strand Bryan De La Cruz on first base in the fourth and, after surrendering an RBI single to Xavier Edwards with one out in the fifth, recorded five consecutive strikeouts through the top of the sixth.
After Dane Myers opened the seventh with a single, Valdez induced his third double-play grounder of the game. He followed with a strikeout of Jonah Bride to complete his outing.
The Astros banged out 13 hits in support of Valdez, including a pair of singles in the bottom of the first that yielded a 1-0 lead against Marlins starter Bryan Hoeing (0-2). Diaz delivered an RBI single that scored Jose Altuve, who stroked a leadoff single and swiped second base.
Houston tacked on a four-spot in the second, with Jake Meyers producing an RBI double that scored Jon Singleton from first before Joey Loperfido drilled his second home run out to right field, a two-run shot that plated Meyers. Yordan Alvarez added a run-scoring single to score Alex Bregman but later departed with right hip soreness.
The Astros didn’t relent. Loperfido tripled and scored off Marlins reliever Declan Cronin in the fourth before Trey Cabbage, who replaced Alvarez in the lineup, chased Cronin with an RBI double in the sixth. Diaz followed with a two-run single off JT Chargois to cap the scoring.
Diaz finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Bregman and Loperfido recorded two hits apiece.
–Field Level Media