Framber Valdez tossed seven shutout innings and the new-look Houston Astros claimed a 3-1 victory over the visiting New York Mets on Thursday.
Valdez (1-0) became the first left-hander in franchise history to make four consecutive Opening Day starts. He scattered four hits, issued two walks and recorded four strikeouts, seemingly strengthening as he worked deeper into his outing. Valdez tossed 90 pitches, 56 for strikes.
He faced trouble in the top of the first when he surrendered a one-out single to Juan Soto before Pete Alonso walked. Valdez recovered and retired Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo in succession and didn’t allow another hit until Luis Torrens doubled with one out in the fifth.
Torrens was subsequently erased trying to advance to third base for the final out of that frame.
Valdez induced eight groundball outs, including a double-play grounder by Vientos to close the sixth. Valdez entered the seventh with 81 pitches on his ledger, and after Nimmo reached with a leadoff single, Valdez recorded strikeouts of Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuna to cap his day.
Infielders Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, Brendan Rodgers and rookie right fielder Cam Smith made their Astros debuts. Smith dumped an opposite-field single into right field in his first career at-bat for the lone hit in the bottom of the second. Jeremy Pena (hit by pitch) and Rodgers (walk) reached bracketing Smith, and Pena scored when Jake Meyers delivered a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Paredes walked and scored in the Astros’ two-run third when Yainer Diaz produced an RBI single to center off Mets right-hander Clay Holmes (0-1). Walker singled and later scored when second baseman Acuna committed a throwing error on a fielder’s choice grounder from Pena.
Holmes, a converted reliever making his first start since 2018, allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
Soto, the prized free-agent signing who played last season for the New York Yankees, went 1-for-3 with two walks in his Mets debut. He struck out representing the go-ahead run in the ninth against Astros closer Josh Hader, who loaded the bases with no outs and allowed a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor.
The Mets loaded the bases with two outs against Astros reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth, but Nimmo was retired on a flyout to center.
