Valdez stays hot with pro-best 12-K start

Whatever questions arose around him in the beginning of the season, by the end of July, Framber Valdez has answered them.
Houston's No. 11 prospect fanned a career-high 12 batters while allowing two hits over 7 2/3 innings Monday in Double-A Corpus Christi's 3-0 win over San Antonio at Whataburger Field.

"He was a lot of fun to watch," Hooks pitching coach Bill Murphy said. "He's just been attacking the zone and did a really nice job tonight of getting ahead of guys and putting them away."
The 24-year-old left-hander posted a 5.16 ERA over 14 games -- nine starts -- in the first half of the season. But in the second half, Valdez has been dominant, sporting a 0.34 ERA over 26 1/3 innings to lower his season mark to 3.79. He's allowed one lone run over five total outings -- four starts -- since June 22, striking out 39 in that span.
"He just looks really comfortable out there," Murphy said. "It's been awesome. It's always very nice when you work with somebody to see them grow, to see them develop, to see them have success. That's been really, really fun to watch over the last couple of months."
Gameday box score
Valdez (4-4) struck out six of the first seven and seven of the first nine Missions batters, carrying a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning. Nick Schulz poked a two-out single up the middle to break the string, but Valdez responded by punching out River Stevens to end the frame.
"He set the tone really, really nicely for himself," Murphy said. 
After fanning the first two in the sixth, he shrugged off Buddy Reed's line-drive single and was unfazed when Reed moved into scoring position on a balk.
Valdez got No. 15 Padres prospectJosh Naylor to ground out to second baseman Ryne Birk, then retired five more in a row. He threw 64 of 98 pitches for strikes.
The 5-foot-11 left-hander possesses two plus pitches -- a low- to mid-90-mph two-seam fastball and a low 80s curveball, according to MLB Pipleline. Valdez has struck out 11.3 batters per nine innings this season for the Hooks and his 12 punchouts Monday put him second on the circuit with 116 to Logan Allen (San Antonio's starting pitcher in the game), who has 122.
Valdez was signed out of the Dominican Republic at 21, an older age than what most international free agents are signed at, for just $10,000.

Justin Ferrell took over with two outs in the eighth and set down the next four batters, two by strikeout, to complete the shutout and earn his second Texas League save in two chances. 
Astros No. 30 prospect Randy César went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a steal of home, and No. 24 Abraham Toro was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run.
Allen, the No. 89 overall prospect, allowed two runs -- both earned -- on five hits and a walk while fanning four over six innings to fall to 10-5. He also leads the league in wins and ERA (2.62).