Astros' Framber Valdez Denies Intentionally Hitting Catcher Cesar Salazar with Pitch

Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez denied intentionally hitting his own catcher with a pitch in Tuesday's 7-1 loss to the New York Yankees.

Speaking to reporters through interpreter Otto Loor, Valdez said there was a cross-up with a pitch he threw at César Salazar after the catcher wanted to step off when they weren't agreeing on what to throw to Trent Grisham in the top of the fifth.

"What happened with us, we just got crossed up. I called for that pitch, I threw it and we got crossed up. We went down to the dugout and I excused myself with him and I said sorry to him and I take full responsibility for that. ... It was not intentional," Valdez said.

Agent Ulises Cabrera also defended Valdez on Wednesday.

"There's no questioning what Framber is and what he represents to the team and his thought process on the team," Cabrera told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.

Grisham had a 1-0 count with the bases loaded and Yankees holding a 2-0 lead in the game. Salazar called for a pitch using the PitchCom device, though Valdez shook him off. Salazar then motioned for his pitcher to step off the mound, but Valdez went ahead with a 93 mph fastball that hit Grisham launched over the wall in left-center field for a grand slam.

Two pitches later with Anthony Volpe at the plate, Salazar seemed to be setting up for a breaking ball. Valdez threw a fastball that hit Salazar in the chest protector, leading to speculation that the left-hander was unhappy for telling him to step off during Grisham's at-bat.

Salazar said after the game part of the issue was both he and Valdez were struggling to hear the PitchCom due to the high number of Yankees fans at Daikin Park.

Per MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Valdez was "seen talking emphatically in Spanish" with Salazar at his locker after the game. McTaggart also noted Valdez and Astros manager Joe Espada had a conversation in Espada's office.

Valdez allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings against the Yankees. The two-time All-Star has a 5.66 ERA in seven starts dating back to July 28. The Astros are 1-6 in those seven games, with their lone win coming against the Colorado Rockies. on Aug. 27.

Houston has lost three of its last four games, but still leads the AL West by three games over the Seattle Mariners with 23 games remaining in the regular season.