Astros' Framber Valdez to Start Game 5 of World Series vs. Braves

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez will start Game 5 of the World Series against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

The decision was no surprise after Valdez started Game 1 on Tuesday.

Valdez pitched just two innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, in a 6-2 loss. After the game, he said he felt the pressure:

"It was my first World Series game, so I'm not going to tell you that I didn't feel the pressure, I didn't feel any kind of tension," Valdez said, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers. "But I did everything I could to lower that, lower the adrenaline, lower the emotion I was feeling."

The 27-year-old has had an up-and-down postseason. In Game 2 of an American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox, he allowed four runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings in a 9-4 win.

In a 5-4 Game 1 win over the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, he allowed two earned runs on six hits in 2.2 innings. His best game of the postseason came in a pivotal 9-1 Game 5 win over the Red Sox. He allowed just one run on three hits in eight innings at Fenway Park.

Valdez is due for a solid appearance, and the Astros hope he can bounce back after his disappointing outing in Game 1. If Houston loses Game 5, it may need to win three straight games to clinch the World Series. Atlanta leads 2-1 with Game 4 set for 8:09 ET Saturday night.

The Astros won their first championship in 2017, though it was later marred by the revelation of the franchise's sign-stealing scandal. The Braves haven't won a Fall Classic title since 1995.