Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown were the Astros’ starting pitchers in the wild card series. Obviously the Astros lost both games, but Hunter Brown’s starting performance was considerably better than Framber Valdez’s performance. Framber normally is viewed as the ace of the Astros’ pitching staff, or “No. 1” starter, if you prefer that term.
I realize that reaching conclusions based on one playoff series can be a fool’s errand. However, this playoff series leaves me wondering if Hunter Brown will surpass Framber Valdez in the future as the No. 1 pitcher in the rotation. And to some extent, the answer to the question may not mean much.