Framber Valdez’s Tigers Rebound Included His Best Number in 13 Months
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The Detroit Tigers did not receive the result they needed from Framber Valdez on Sunday, but they finally saw a version of the left-hander that looked capable of reversing his troubling August. Valdez allowed three runs over six innings in a 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, yet one number separated the start from nearly everything he had produced this year.
Valdez averaged a season-high 95.1 mph with his sinker, according to NBC Sports. He had entered the game averaging 93.8 mph with the pitch and had not reached an average of at least 95 mph in a start for 13 months.
The Tigers needed that sign after Valdez went an entire outing without generating a swing-and-miss against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sunday’s velocity did not prevent one costly mistake, but it helped him record five strikeouts and 13 whiffs while keeping Detroit even through five innings.
Valdez Ended a Historic Whiff Drought
The contrast between the two starts could hardly have been greater. Tampa Bay swung 41 times at 84 pitches Monday and made contact every time, an MLB.com breakdown identified as the most swings without a miss against a Detroit pitcher since pitch tracking began in 2008.
Valdez’s first-pitch curveball to Teoscar Hernández in the second inning Sunday ended a streak of 102 consecutive pitches without a whiff. He finished with 13, his most in a game since July 9.
The sharper sinker represented the most encouraging part of the change. Valdez built his career by using that pitch to force hitters into the ground, and additional velocity could reduce reaction time while creating more separation from his secondary offerings. The increase did not prove that he had permanently recovered anything, although it provided a measurable difference rather than a vague claim that he felt better.
Detroit also saw him escape a second-inning threat by striking out Kyle Tucker and Enrique Hernández with runners in scoring position. He surrendered six hits and one walk, but the Dodgers did not overwhelm him until one pitch stayed in the wrong location.
One Changeup Spoiled the Larger Rebound
Valdez entered the sixth inning in a 1-1 game before Freddie Freeman doubled with one out. He then left a changeup elevated over the plate, and Hernández drove it an estimated 434 feet for a two-run home run. The swing accounted for the final two runs charged to Valdez and gave Los Angeles a lead it never relinquished.
The game recap showed why the mistake should not erase the previous five innings. Detroit’s bullpen allowed three more runs in the eighth, while the offense managed only two hits against Tyler Glasnow and two relievers. Valdez’s line could not overcome that lack of support, but he gave the Tigers a competitive start against one of baseball’s strongest lineups.
That distinction mattered because Detroit guaranteed Valdez $115 million over three years in February. His contract included an opt-out after 2027, making his performance important to the current rotation and the organization’s plans beyond this campaign.
One start did not repair his uneven first year with the Tigers, and an isolated velocity spike could disappear as quickly as it arrived. Valdez was lined up to face the Cleveland Guardians next weekend, giving Detroit an immediate test of whether 95.1 mph and the returning whiffs represented a lasting adjustment or a one-day exception.
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