Astros cap super June with 50th victory, 10th straight when Framber starts

HOUSTON -- If there was anyone still wondering where the Astros stand among the best teams in the Major Leagues, their scorching play in June -- which they capped by sweeping the Phillies and taking two of three games against the Cubs -- should put those questions to rest. Houston is still very much among baseball’s elite.

The Astros became the third team to reach 50 wins, joining the Dodgers and the Tigers, by getting six scoreless innings from red-hot left-hander Framber Valdez and a two-run homer from Jose Altuve to beat the Cubs, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon at Daikin Park. Houston went 19-7 in June, which is the best record this month in the Major Leagues.

“It was a great month and I’m proud of the position that we are in,” manager Joe Espada said. “Like I always tell these guys, we’ve got to get ready. We have an off-day tomorrow and then get ready for another stretch of games.”

Next up for the Astros starting on Tuesday is the Rockies, who have the worst record in the Major Leagues, followed by a showdown series with the Dodgers (Friday-Saturday) in Los Angeles. Houston general manager Dana Brown said on the team’s pregame radio show on Sunday that slugger Yordan Alvarez, who’s been out since early May with a broken hand, could return by the Dodgers series, though the following homestand is more likely.

Either way, the thought of the Astros starting to get healthy -- they also have four starting pitchers rehabbing in Florida -- should be a scary thought for the league considering how well Houston has performed despite being short-handed much of the season.

“After everything and all the bad news, we’re picking each other up and have each other’s back, and keep doing our thing and going out there and competing,” said reliever Bryan Abreu, who threw two scoreless innings against the Cubs. “That’s pretty amazing for us.”

Abreu relieved Valdez with two runners on base and none out in the seventh and got three straight outs to preserve the lead. He threw a 1-2-3 eighth to get the ball to closer Josh Hader, who improved to 23 of 23 in save chances.

“They could have brought in Babe Ruth,” Espada said. “It was Abreu’s time.”

Valdez (9-4) won his eighth consecutive decision, allowing four hits while striking out six batters, with the Astros improving to 10-0 in his last 10 starts, including 7-0 after a loss. He’s 8-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his past 10 starts.

“It doesn’t matter for me if we win or lose the day before,” said Valdez, who’s thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings. “For me, it’s about going out there and it’s a new day. It’s competing, focusing and just acting like a winner out there.”

The game was scoreless in the fifth when Altuve hit Cubs starter Jameson Taillon’s 107th and final pitch of the game into the Crawford Boxes in left field for a two-run homer. That was Altuve’s 2,313rd career hit, putting him one shy of tying Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for second place on Houston’s all-time hits list.

“I was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and not even close to getting a hit, so I was trying to put the bat on the ball and thank God the ball went out and we won the game,” Altuve said.

Taillon, who grew up in the Houston area, said he knew Altuve’s ball was a homer, even though it only traveled a Statcast-projected 347 feet. It would have been a homer in 19 of 30 parks.

“I grew up coming to games here,” Taillon said. “I’ve seen so many balls go into the Crawford Boxes. It’s one of those things -- yeah, it’s a short left field, but it also isn’t a very good pitch. That’s what he does. He’s probably a future Hall of Famer. I thought it was gone off the bat."

Taillon threw 31 of his 107 pitches to Isaac Paredes, who was acquired from the Cubs as part of the Kyle Tucker trade. Paredes had only one hit on Sunday, but he chipped away at Taillon, including a 12-pitch at-bat to start the game. Paredes’ under-the-radar contributions are one of the reasons the Astros are in the position they’re in.

“Obviously, he’s having a great season [and] he should be an All-Star,” Altuve said. “It seems like he fits perfect here. He’s a guy that goes out there and he has his approach, he has his plan and he wants to hit his pitch and it’s working for him. We’re all happy for him.”