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Valdez (6-5) allowed a run on six hits and two walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win against Baltimore.

Advice: Valdez rolled through five shutout frames without facing too much trouble before Jordan Westburg belted a solo shot in the sixth inning. The Astros gave Valdez plenty of run support as he halted a brief two-start losing streak. It was the third time this year he's struck out at least seven batters, and each of those outings have come in his last eight starts. He's produced an impressive 2.73 ERA through 33 innings this month, lowering his season mark to 3.68 across 80.2 frames. Valdez will carry a 63:26 K:BB into his next outing, which is projected to be on the road against the Mets. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:47 pm

Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde admitted Sunday that Dean Kremer (triceps) will likely require another minor league rehab start after he failed to get past the first inning in Saturday’s outing at Triple-A Norfolk.

Advice: The 28-year-old right-hander got just two outs in Saturday’s start, giving up five runs on five hits and a walk over his 2/3 of an inning. Kremer struck out one batter in the ballgame and surrendered a pair of home runs to Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson. Kremer threw just 39 pitches in the ballgame, 25 of them for strikes. Out of necessity, the Orioles could still decide to bring him back next week, but the most likely scenario is that he winds up making another start at the Triple-A level. Rotoworld Sunday, 2:41 pm

Lively (7-3) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Advice: Lively bounced back from his shortest start of the year by getting back into the win column. He hasn't struck out more than five batters in any of his last five outings, but he's generally been good at limiting damage, as he's given up two or fewer runs in nine of his 12 starts. The right-hander is at a 3.03 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB through 65.1 innings this season, though he's also been tagged for 10 home runs, including two in Saturday's start. Lively is projected to make his next appearance at Kansas City. Rotowire.com Saturday, 6:57 pm

Kirby came away with a no-decision in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Marlins, allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

Advice: The 26-year-old right-hander reeled off his third straight quality start and ninth of the season on an efficient 85 pitches (60 strikes), but Kirby was denied his seventh win of the year when the Seattle offense went cold after the second inning. He'll take a 3.47 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and dazzling 89:9 K:BB through 93.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next week in Tampa Bay. Rotowire.com Saturday, 7:01 am

Manaea pitched 5.2 innings in a no-decision against Texas on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six batters.

Advice: Manaea gave up just one run through five frames but ran into trouble in the sixth. In that frame, a two-out Josh Smith double narrowed New York's lead to one and resulted in Manaea getting the hook. Reliever Sean Reid-Foley followed by allowing his inherited runner to score, taking Manaea out of contention for a victory. It was still a pretty strong outing overall for the left-handed starter, though he's now failed to complete six innings in each of his past five starts. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 10:34 pm