Valdez (3-4) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits over eight innings against the Angels. He struck out 12.
Valdez delivered his best outing of the season in a showdown with Shohei Ohtani. Valdez posted season highs in innings and strikeouts, punctuating the evening by sitting down Mike Trout on three pitches in the eighth. Valdez has been a tough-luck loser this season with four losses despite never allowing more than three runs. The Astros offense ranks 27th in OPS, giving Valdez less margin for error so far.