Working closely with Framber Valdez, Houston catcher Martin Maldonado has enjoyed a front-row seat for the journey that has turned the left-hander into one of baseball's top pitchers in his fifth season. “It is a lot of calm, a lot of confidence and a lot of maturity from him," Maldonado said. “He knows what he can do good. Listening more and taking pride in the work, less emotional on the mound. So I’ve seen a lot of stuff going into (his growth)." Valdez set a major league record with his 25th straight quality start, and Yordan Alvarez and Maldonado had four RBI apiece in the Astros' 11-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. read https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=401356394
