Questions Surround Houston Astros Star Pitcher During Playoff Push

After being one of the favorites to win the NL Cy Young, Framber Valdez's production has fallen off a cliff in the second half of the season.

Through 24 starts this season, the left hander has a 9-9 record and ERA of 3.55. That's a far cry from his 28-12 record and 2.98 ERA over the past two seasons combined. Opponent's batting average is up and he's given up the most home runs ever in his career.

It's not a good sign for the Houston Astros in the middle of a tight AL West division race with the leading Texas Rangers and resurgent Seattle Mariners. One of the reasons why the front office acquired Justin Verlander at the trade deadline was to bolster the top end of the rotation alongside Valdez.

If the lefty can't figure things out, the Astros will be relying on a 40-year-old to be their ace and young pitchers to carry them deep in the playoffs.

ESPN Senior Writer David Schoenfield highlights the struggles of Valdez in the second half of the season writing, "The Mariners hit rockets all over the place against him on Saturday in pounding out 10 hits with a hard-hit rate of 67%. Before that it was four runs and two home runs against the Marlins, six runs and two home runs against the Orioles, eight hits and six runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Rangers, four runs against the A's and five runs against the Angels. That's a 6.18 ERA over seven starts with nine home runs allowed -- and a no-hitter tossed in."

Those aren't the levels of pitching that the team is looking for down the back stretch of the season.

One thing causing his poor performances could be the issues he's had with his primary pitch.

"His sinker has lost four inches of drop compared to last season and it has lacked depth in the second half compared to his first half, when he posted a 2.51 ERA," Schoenfield writes.

Houston needs their ace to find the form that put him in the Cy Young conversation or they'll have a hard time repeating.