Framber Valdez sharp in return to Houston, but Tigers fall to Astros, 4-2

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Jun 16, 2026

Published in Baseball

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HOUSTON — The Tigers, after bashing five home runs on Monday, couldn’t score enough to offset a few defensive misplays Tuesday and the Houston Astros evened the series with a 4-2 win.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning and rookie Hao-Yu Lee was the impetus for that. He singled in the first Tigers’ run and scored the second after leading off the top of the eighth with a double.

But things unraveled in the bottom of the eighth.

Keider Montero, making his first relief appearance of the season, pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out former Tiger Isaac Paredes with a 97-mph fastball to strand a runner at third.

But with one out in the eighth, Yainer Diaz singled and rookie third baseman Kevin McGonigle misplayed a slow-hit ground ball by Cam Smith. He lost control of the ball as he went to throw to first.

Will Vest entered and walked pinch-hitter Joey Loperfido to load the bases. Rookie Raynell Delgado rolled a two-run single up the middle and a fielder’s choice ground ball by Jeremy Pena tacked on another.

The game featured a couple of high-profile returns. Tigers lefty Framber Valdez back to Houston and Wayne State product Hunter Brown's return to the Astros' rotation.

Valdez, in his first time back to Houston where he played for eight seasons, reminded the folks of all the things they’ve missed and maybe a thing or two they haven’t.

He soldiered through six innings, scattering six hits and three walks, with six strikeouts and nine ground-ball outs. And he won some big at-bats.

Like in the first inning when he got Jose Altuve to fly to right leaving runners at second and third. And like in the third, when he struck out Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes with runners at the corners and then again got Altuve, this time on a ground ball.

And just to cap off the trifecta with Altuve, Valdez struck him out looking to end the fifth with two runners on.

All of that had to look familiar to the faithful at Daikin Park.

As did the self-inflicted wound that led to the only run on his ledger. That came in the fifth inning, too.

Covering first base has never been one of Valdez’s strengths. Delgado led off the fifth with a hard ground ball down the first base line. Spencer Torkelson snared it on a dive but Valdez was late to the bag.

With two outs, Delgado scored on a passed ball by catcher Dillon Dingler.

Brown, off the injured list and making his first start since March 31, had to work around a lot of traffic throughout his outing. And a couple of outs on the bases early by the Tigers made his task a little easier.

With two outs and Dingler at first base in the first inning, Riley Greene drove a ball off the wall in right field. Third base coach Joey Cora waved Dingler home, even though the ball was already in the glove of cutoff man, shortstop Pena.

The throw to the plate beat Dingler by such a wide margin, Dingler didn’t even bother to slide.

The Tigers pushed across a run in the second, with Lee cashing in a leadoff walk to Torkelson with a two-out single. Lee was caught stealing to end the inning, with No. 9 hitter James Outman at the plate.

It was the only run Brown allowed in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out seven.

Colt Keith, who had a career night on Monday (three homers, six RBIs), was scratched before the game because of a sore right wrist. The soreness stemmed from a tumble he took in the seventh inning Monday when slipped after making an off-balance throw to first in the seventh inning.

He stayed in the game and swatted his third homer of the night in the ninth.