Scouting Report: Luis Valdez

Summary

Framber Valdez, Tigers left-hander, received a 5-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story on Tuesday. Valdez had an extremely poor outing, allowing 8 runs in the first three innings before giving up back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras (449 feet) and Wilyer Abreu (396 feet) to start the fourth inning. His next pitch was a 94.4 mph four-seam fastball that hit Story between the numbers—notably his first four-seamer thrown since August 3 of the previous season. The incident resulted in benches clearing. Valdez was ejected from the game and subsequently suspended for 5 games (reduced from 6), with manager A.J. Hinch also receiving a 1-game suspension. Valdez denied intentionality but few observers were convinced given the context and pitch selection.