HOUSTON -- While right-hander Hunter Brown has emerged as the ace of the Astros staff, as well as one of the best power pitchers in baseball, left-hander Framber Valdez served as a reminder of his importance to Houston’s banged-up starting rotation.

As the Astros approach the end of a challenging stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off -- during which they lost starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski to Tommy John surgery and fellow starter Ronel Blanco to elbow inflammation -- Valdez delivered his fourth consecutive quality start in a tense 2-1 win over the first-place Mariners on Saturday afternoon at Daikin Park.

https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/framber-valdez-deals-quality-start-win-over-mariners