Framber Valdez meltdown is latest proof that Joe Espada has lost the Astros clubhouse

The Houston Astros lost a tough one on Monday night to the Los Angeles Angels, falling by a final score of 9-7. Up until the fifth inning, Houston appeared to be in complete control of the game, entering that inning with a 6-1 lead and left-hander Framber Valdez cruising along.

However, that lead quickly evaporated when the Halos erupted for seven runs to take an 8-6 lead. After that inning, Valdez was done for the night.

At the end of the game, Valdez, catcher Yainer Diaz, and manager Joe Espada revealed that the star left-hander made a key change that ultimately caused the wheels to fall off for the Astros. And this change may have revealed some issues going on behind the scenes in Houston.

"Yainer did a really good job calling pitchers," Valdez said. "I was the one that decided to try and change the game plan. I had to deal with the consequences."

Valdez's meltdown may have revealed internal issues with Astros

Obviously, on the surface, it may look as if Valdez just made a mistake that ended up costing him.

That could very well be the case. However, it might have revealed that there could be something else going on behind the scenes. Valdez obviously felt the need to make an adjustment despite having a 6-1 lead. It could potentially mean one of two things.

Firstly, it could mean that Valdez didn't trust Espada and didn't like what the plan was for the game. It could also mean that Espada has lost control of the clubhouse and that there may have been a slight disconnect between Valdez and Diaz.

If the latter is true, then the issue is with Espada for not being able to keep his players on the same page or not being able to fully earn their trust. And if such is the case, then the Astros were truly hurt by the departure of Dusty Baker, who retired after the team lost the ALCS to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

Perhaps Espada was not the right man for the job after Baker left, and if so, Houston may need to make a managerial change and find somebody who can control the clubhouse.