The St. Louis Cardinals are returning to the states after a series split in London, England against the Chicago Cubs. The next opponent on the schedule is the 42-36 Houston Astros. The scheduled starters are Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and J.P. France.
Per FIP, the Astros have a top five pitching staff and they are led by Valdez. In 99 innings the lefty has a 2.27 ERA and a 2.71 FIP with a 23.7% K rate, a 5.4% walk rate, and a 0.55 HR/9. He throws four pitches: a sinker, curveball, cutter, and changeup. Per Baseball Savant’s run value his sinker is one of the most valuable pitches in the game at -16 runs.