Tigers' Framber Valdez has momentum going into game against Yankees

Framber Valdez has never recorded a regular-season victory over the New York Yankees. The Detroit Tigers left-hander will seek a breakthrough in the opener of a three-game home series on Monday night.

The veteran left-hander has six career starts against the Yankees, posting an 0-2 record and 7.22 ERA. He did beat them in a postseason contest, Game 2 of the ALCS on Oct. 20, 2022.

Valdez (3-5, 4.09 ERA) has been inconsistent in his first season with the Tigers after signing a three-year, $115 million contract. A two-time All-Star, Valdez has allowed four or more earned runs in five of his starts. In his other 10 starts, he has limited the opposition to two or fewer runs.

He delivered one of his better outings of the season in his last start on Tuesday. He held his former team, Houston, to one unearned run in six innings but wound up with a no-decision.

"I knew this (game) was meant to happen," Valdez said of facing his former club. "I knew I was going to have to face them at some point no matter what. I was ready to treat it like just another game and do my job. Fortunately, I was able to leave the team in position to compete."

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was impressed how Valdez was able to settle it against his former teammates.

"I thought Framber was excellent," Hinch said. "This start mattered to him a ton. He was pretty emotional, even though he will try to hide it from you. I think he did a great job staying connected to the competition and not letting himself get distracted or feeling any unnecessary pressure. He was able to get some big outs and left the game right where we could've hoped."

Detroit is coming off a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers rallied for a 5-4, 10-inning win on Sunday.

"I just believe in the character of this team, and we've gotta go step by step," Hinch said. "So, we really shouldn't look any further than the Yankees. We should celebrate tonight. We just swept a team that's ahead of us."

Valdez will be opposed by Gerrit Cole, who was originally scheduled to pitch the series finale against Cincinnati on Sunday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to give his staff a little more time between starts.

"It's nothing other than this long stretch, just giving all our starters an extra day," Boone said. "Everyone else will bounce back a day. It's something we've been kicking around the last few days."

Cole (2-1, 2.57 ERA) didn't really feel the need for an extra day, but he had no complaints.

"I'm good. I was ready to go (Sunday)," Cole said. "Any pitcher, if you're on a roll, just keep feeding me -- you know what I mean? But there are different factors that contribute to when you get to do that. It's really not that big of a deal."

In his last start on Tuesday, Cole limited the White Sox to two runs and three hits in six innings. Cole has dominated the Tigers throughout his career, posting a 10-1 record and 1.84 ERA in 14 starts.

The Yankees have lost three of their last four games, leaving them two games ahead of Tampa Bay in the American League East standings.

--Field Level Media