Framber Valdez heads into Thursday night’s start with something to prove. The Tigers left-hander will make his 19th appearance of the season against the Athletics, and after a run of uneven results, this feels like an important chance to reset both his form and Detroit’s momentum.
The Tigers signed Valdez to a three-year, $115 million contract late in the offseason because they expected stability at the top of the rotation. Last season, he struck out 187 batters in 192 innings, but this year has not followed the same pattern. He is 4-6 with a 4.29 ERA, and nine of his last 11 games have ended in losses for Detroit.
Why Valdez needs a cleaner start
Valdez was direct about what has changed. He said hitters have been able to read his pitches well, and that has forced him to adjust. “They could read my pitches very well, so I need to work better in attacking,” he said. “Go back to my mode of attacking early in the count. It’s something I’ve got to work on.”
That is the key issue for Detroit. Valdez has built his game on getting hitters to chase breaking pitches, but the new ABS challenge system has made that harder. He said it has pushed him to stay a little higher in the zone because hitters now have hard evidence on whether pitches are outside. For a pitcher who relies on deception and conviction, that is not a small adjustment.
His recent outing showed the problem clearly. Last Thursday, Valdez allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings in a 10-4 loss to Texas. It was another reminder that he has not quite found the sharp edge that made him so reliable in previous seasons.
The Athletics are not arriving quietly
Detroit enters the game having won four straight, while the Athletics have lost five in a row. That gives the Tigers a chance to finish a three-game home series with another statement result, but it also means Valdez is starting in a game where the pressure is on both sides for different reasons.
The Athletics will hand the ball to Jack Perkins, who has had his own struggles. He allowed seven runs and seven hits while walking four in 3 2/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to Miami on Friday. Perkins admitted he is still trying to settle in. “I’m trying to figure this out. I’m trying to get on a roll here,” he said. “Not too sure what’s going on.”
Mark Kotsay was not encouraged by that first inning. “Tough first inning,” he said, adding: “We know this team can hit, and when you leave balls middle across [the plate], you’re going to pay the price.”
A career edge against the A’s
If there is reason for confidence around Valdez, it comes from the matchup history. He has made 17 career appearances against the Athletics and owns an 8-4 record with a 2.57 ERA in those games. That is the kind of record the Tigers will want to lean on as they try to extend their winning run.
There is still a bigger picture here, though. Valdez’s ERA is his highest since his second season with Houston in 2019, and Detroit needs him to look more like the pitcher it believed it was signing. Wednesday’s 6-1 win already gave the Tigers a strong platform, even after Dillon Dingler left in the second inning when he was struck on his right hand by a foul ball.
Thursday night is therefore about more than one start. It is about whether Valdez can bring back the early-count attack he keeps talking about, whether the Tigers can keep their run going, and whether one of their most important pitchers can finally match the expectations that came with the contract.
