4 Astros most to blame for knee-capping ALCS Game 2 loss to Rangers

1. Framber Valdez put the Astros in a bad spot right away in Game 2 loss

Losing Justin Verlander's start in Game 1 was a tough pill to swallow, but the argument could be made that the future Hall-of-Famer wasn't completely at fault for the loss. After all, there's only so much a pitcher can do when the offense fails to get on the scoreboard.

That same narrative, however, isn't true of the Game 2 starter, Framber Valdez.

Valdez was nails throughout the regular season this year, posting the AL's 15th-best ERA (3.45) and 13th-best WHIP (1.13), which wasn't held up by his 12-11 record, but spoke to how well he pitched. He appeared to be a lefty that the Astros could feel wholly confident in to deliver in what looked like a must-win matchup entering Monday's action.

Instead, Valdez got hit immediately as both Marcus Semien and Corey Seager delivered singles on the first two pitches of the game from the Astros starter. It didn't get better from there, either, as the Rangers scored four of their five runs for the day in the first inning -- and it could've been more if not for a questionable foul-tip strikeout call.

Dusty Baker ultimately pulled Valdez from the game after just 2.2 innings with the southpaw giving up five runs (four earned), seven hits, and one walk. It was the last thing that Houston needed to set the tone for this game and they did the opposite, giving Texas all of the momentum... not that they needed any after stealing Game 1.

Valdez helped dig this hole for the Astros and he now might be lucky to get another chance this postseason at redemption.