Framber Valdez makes first start for Astros since throwing pitch that hit his catcher

ARLINGTON Texas AP Framber Valdez was back on the mound for Houston on Sunday with C sar Salazar not in the lineup in the left-hander s first start since spanning up his catcher and hitting him in the chest with a pitch in an episode that was perceived as intentional Valdez was pitching on regular rest against the Texas Rangers after the Astros decided to give Luis Garcia more time to recover following the right-hander s first start in more than two years coming off Tommy John elbow surgery Valdez threw a mph sinker on his second pitch after giving up a grand slam to Trent Grisham in a - loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday Salazar moved his glove downward after the pitch was thrown an indication he was expecting a pitch with less velocity and more break The ball hit him in his chest protector Just before the pitch that Grisham sent over the fence Salazar had motioned for Valdez to step off the mound Valdez and Salazar both revealed after the tournament the pitch that hit the catcher wasn t on purpose Manager Joe Espada commented the day after the circumstance he considered it resolved He fleetly dismissed the idea of any lingering issues before Sunday s challenge That s in the past Espada announced Let s just focus on in contemporary times Yainer Diaz started at catcher Sunday after Salazar was behind the plate the previous two starts from Valdez Diaz caught of Valdez s first starts this season Salazar had been recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Aug for his second stint with the Astros this season Valdez s outings were the second and third starts of the season for Salazar all three coming since he was recalled Salazar went into Sunday without having appeared in a battle since the occurrence with Valdez Espada announced Garcia was fine physically coming off the - mastery over the Los Angeles Angels last Monday He allowed three runs on three hits including two homers in six innings in his first start since May The Astros have a day off Monday before starting a three-game series at Toronto Espada mentioned he planned to announce their rotation for that series after Sunday s tournament AP MLB https apnews com hub mlb Source