HOUSTON -- Perhaps this will be the game that gets Astros left-hander Framber Valdez back on track for the push to the playoffs.

Valdez won for the first time in more than a month by throwing seven scoreless innings Wednesday, and Cam Smith and Yordan Alvarez both homered for the first time in months to send the Astros to a 4-0 win over the Rockies at Daikin Park.

The Astros, who remain 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Mariners in the American League West, were managed Wednesday by bench coach Omar López because manager Joe Espada was ill.

After going 10-0 with a 1.86 ERA during a dominating stretch of 13 starts from May 7-July 22 (the Astros were 13-0 in those starts), Valdez was 0-3 with a 6.14 ERA in his previous five starts entering Wednesday (the Astros had lost all five

See Full Page