Astros: Valdez gets Game 1, how does rest of rotation line out?

The Astros’ rotation is not a shell of what it once was, it is a new era of arms, but who will follow Framber Valdez?

The Houston Astros will kick off the 2021 World Series against the Atlanta Braves in Houston, Tuesday night. Unlike the 2017 and 2019 World Series runs, Justin Verlander won’t be walking through those clubhouse doors.

It was confirmed that Lance McCullers Jr. won’t be joining the team either. However, the lack of a big game ace might not matter as the Astros’ current rotation seems poised and ready to go after an up-and-down ALCS against the Boston Red Sox.

After watching the starting pitching through the first three games in the ALCS, I tweeted after Game 3 that I really didn’t see a path for a series win for the Houston Astros. Starters were erratic, walking batters, falling behind in counts and straight up getting barreled.

Additionally, the Astros have relied on their bullpen to pitch 57% of the postseason innings. While the bullpen has stepped up, this is not sustainable either.

Naturally, some fans hammered me for overreacting. However, it wasn’t a knee jerk, irrational response to a tough loss. I was looking for a strategic path to victory, and there wasn’t one.

In the end, it simply came down to two very seasoned managers allowing two young guys a chance to mature right there on the big stage: pitching coach Brent Strom getting the pitchers prepared, and manager Dusty Baker trusting Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia will execute.

Once again, Baker and Strom will look to their trio of young pitchers and a wily veteran to bring home the Astros’ second World Series title in franchise history.

The great thing about finishing the Red Sox a game early was that the Astros got an extra day of rest. So, Baker will have plenty of options depending on match-ups, line-ups, etc. Let’s take a look at how the starting rotation could line up.

Framber Valdez is slated for Game 1 of the World Series for the Astros.

Baker announced Sunday that Framber Valdez will go pitch-for-pitch with Braves’ Charlie Morton in Game 1 of the 2021 World Series. Valdez definitely had fans riding the emotional roller coaster during the ALCS against the Red Sox.

In his first outing in Game 1, Valdez gave up six hits, three walks and three runs in 2.2 innings of work. He bounced back in a historic way during his Game 5 start, pitching eight innings of three-hit, one-run baseball. His stuff wasn’t particularly electric in Game 5. However, it appears he had much better control, stuck to the game plan and relied on his defense behind him.

Game 2 for the Astros could be in Jose Urquidy’s hands.

The natural inclination is to start Luis Garcia here. However, the idea for starting Jose Urquidy in Game 2 is more predicated on giving Garcia five full days of rest. Garcia, who had trouble with a right-knee strain during Game 2 of ALCS, pitched much more effectively in his second start in Game 6 with some extended rest.

Urquidy, winning pitcher in Game 4 of the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals, hasn’t had much action in this postseason. The way both the ALDS and ALCS played out didn’t leave all that many innings for Urquidy.

Urquidy did have the opportunity to start Game 3 of the 2021 ALCS after a long layoff. He didn’t pitch particularly well, as he was having difficulty locating the strike zone.

You could blame it on a bad day, a bit of rust or really whatever you want to attribute the performance to. The reality is that this kind of wild game was a total anomaly, factoring in the type of pitch control seen from Urquidy throughout his career.

Game 4 for the Astros could go to Zack Greinke once again.

We cannot forget Zack Greinke. No active pitcher in the World Series has the history, records or statistics that Greinke has built up over his long and illustrious career.

Greinke got put into an unfortunate relief position in Game 3 of the ALDS against the White Sox, coming into the game in relief with runners on runners on the corners. He gave up a few soft grounders, and he surrendered some inherited runners.

In the ALCS against the Red Sox, with no McCullers and the completing shelling Valdez and Garcia took, there was no other choice but to turn to the veteran of eighteen seasons for Game 4. Greinke only gave up one hit to the nine batters he face, a two-run home run to Xander Bogaerts; the only runs by the Red Sox in the entire game.

Greinke seems like is prepping to start, taking part in a live batter session with the taxi squad guys.

“I like what I saw,” Strom told reporters on Sunday. “[Greinke] threw all of his pitches and got his work in. I feel very, very bullish about Zack helping us this series.”

Provided that Greinke is stretched out and feeling good, he’s the type of pitcher who could conceivably knock out a complete game gem at any point.

However, it is more likely that Baker will keep Greinke on a short leash and look to piggyback Cristian Javier or Jake Odorizzi for some long-relief innings.