Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker on Saturday named left-hander Framber Valdez as the team's starter for Monday's Game 2 of the American League Championship Series.
Justin Verlander already had been tabbed the Astros' starter in Game 1 of the matchup against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. The Rangers will send left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the mound in Game 1 while Nathan Eovaldi will get the nod for Game 2, according to manager Bruce Bochy.
Valdez, 29, went 12-11 with a 3.45 ERA in 31 starts for Houston this season and was named an AL All-Star for the second time. Valdez also started Game 2 of the Astros' AL Division Series against the Minnesota Twins and struggled, giving up five runs on seven hits over 4â…“ innings in the Astros' only loss of the matchup.
In 14 playoff appearances (13 starts) over the past four seasons, Valdez is 7-3 with a 3.82 ERA. In five career ALCS starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA over 29â…” innings.
Eovaldi, 33, went 12-5 with a 3.63 ERA in 25 starts for Texas and was named an All-Star. He's 6-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 13 postseason games.
Reuters contributed to this story.