Framber Valdez

France has struggled considerably in 2024, and hit ninth in last night's game against the Astros even with a left-hander in Framber Valdez on the mound. The 30-year-old will take a seat with Luke Raley handling first base and Dylan Moore getting the start in left field.

Valdez carried a shutout into the sixth inning before coughing up a two-run homer to Mariners franchise cornerstone Julio Rodriguez, which accounted for all of the damage against him. He struck out six and also handed out four free passes. The 30-year-old lefty has been excellent over the last few weeks, allowing three earned runs or fewer in six consecutive starts dating back to June 18. He'll bring a respectable 3.63 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 88/36 K/BB ratio across 104 innings (17 starts) into a challenging home matchup on Friday against the Dodgers.

Rodriguez connected on a hanging breaking ball from Astros ace Framber Valdez, sending a majestic two-run shot deep to left field, putting Seattle ahead for a brief moment in the sixth inning. It was his 11th round-tripper of the season and fourth time he's left the yard since the start of July. Fantasy managers are certainly hoping that the extended All-Star break was enough time for Rodriguez to re-discover his swing and confidence at the dish.

It appeared almost certain that Brown would be demoted after a brutal nine-start stretch to open the year, but he managed to turn things around to finish the first half with an impressive 2.36 ERA over his final 10 outings since May 22. It'll be Framber Valdez and Ronel Blanco to round out the first series of the second half for Houston on the road at T-Mobile Park.

Valdez (8-5) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out 10 over seven innings to earn the win over the Marlins on Wednesday.