A Grip on Sports: Though the M’s are sending out their best, the Astros’ starting pitcher is no slouch

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Momentum in baseball is often-times dictated by one thing. The starting pitcher. Which might just give the Astros an edge today.

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• Luis Castillo can be dominating. He was the other day in Toronto. He may need to be today for the Mariners to return from Houston with a split. And yet he hasn’t been as good this season as the Astros’ starter, Framber Valdez.

Who? That’s a good question this time of year. One thing postseason baseball attracts is the casual fan. And said fan, while able to converse intelligently concerning the home team (if they have access to the InterWeb and a willingness to learn), oftentimes has little-to-no knowledge of the bad guys.

Valdez is one of those. As in “Framber Valdez is a bad man.”

The left-hander quietly put together one of the best seasons of any American League starting pitcher. Easily the 29-year-old’s best in his five-year career. And one that is a throwback to ancient times.

He led the A.L. in complete games with three. In innings pitched with more than 200. He actually threw a complete-game shutout. No wonder his earned run average was 2.82 and his won/loss record was 17-6. The guy can pitch. He uses a variety of pitches, keeps the ball in the yard – he gave up 11 dingers in his 31 starts – and rarely allows base runners – his 1.157 WHIP is really good.

Yes, the Astros will be tested by Castillo. But they have the momentum and, if consistency is the measure, the better starting pitcher.

• On that happy note, let’s change our emphasis. There was a letter to the editor recently that called us out for always complaining about how hard it is to watch Pac-12 football games that have been exiled to the conference’s network. (In an unrelated note, the Cougars’ game Saturday at Oregon State is an example.)

The letter writer pointed out they have no trouble. They have Dish. No Root. No local CBS. But the Pac-12 Network? Yep, and Root has had it forever.

Their thoughts popped into our mind this week when we read Jon Wilner’s story on the conference suing Dish for a lack of payments – and as we read this follow-up story from John Canzano.

Canzano nailed it concerning the conference’s relationship with the more disliked of the two satellite TV providers:

“The Pac-12’s deal with Dish is essentially what hindered distribution of the Pac-12 Networks for all those years,” he wrote. “The conference locked itself into a contract that triggered millions in rebates to Dish should the Pac-12 choose to also distribute the content via a streaming service or cut a deal with DirecTV. And now, Dish is apparently refusing to pay up?”

Ironic, huh? If the lawsuit gets ugly – and such things often do – it may not be so easy watching Pac-12 Network content on Dish in the near future.

• With what’s been going on with the team across the street, the Seahawks have retreated to the backburner this month. Which is probably fine with Pete Carroll.

Carroll takes pride in defense. He’s been on that side of the ball since playing safety at the University of the Pacific and he built one of the best defenses in NFL history while he’s been in Seattle. And yet this group is as porous as wire mesh.

Maybe worse. Heck, wire mesh at least keeps some things out of the gutters. The Hawks rarely keep anyone out of the endzone. “Bend … and then break” seems to be the motto.

Carroll’s answer? Sign veteran Bruce Irvin. Ya, that’ll fix it.

No, it won’t. And no, it won’t be the last roster move the Hawks make. John Schneider and Carroll will keep tinkering all season, adding any veteran they believe will help. Find enough pieces and maybe Seattle will drop from the 31st-worst defense in the league to, say, 25th. Or something like that.

Isn’t that worth looking forward to?

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WSU: We are halfway through the regular season. The Cougars are 4-2, with both losses coming in Pac-12 play. Just how well have they done? Colton Clark dons his professor’s robe and hands out grades. The best goes to the defensive front. The worst? Guess. … Daiyan Henley has been added to the Bednarik watch list. He’s now in the running for the award that goes to the nation’s best linebacker. Colton has that story as well. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, there is a lot from Jon Wilner. We pass along his conference power rankings as they appeared in the S-R. And then we have two pieces from the Mercury News today, his weekly picks and his best of the west rankings. … One other thing. Jon delves into who Colorado should consider to become its next head coach. … What’s up with Washington’s pass defense. And the fourth-down calls? How did it get so porous in such a short time? … Oregon State has improved in many areas, including special teams. The Beavers, however, still aren’t sure who their starting quarterback will be. … Oregon is on a bye this week. So is Arizona State. … Colorado has a new approach on defense. … When USC invades Salt Lake City on Saturday, it will be a challenge for the Utah defensive backs. They may determine the Utes’ success. … UCLA has yet to lose. And yet there are still areas in which to improve. … There were lots of reasons behind Arizona’s latest loss. … In basketball news, Colorado is looking for more contributors. … A youngster should help out at Arizona. … Oregon is trying to get back to the basics.

Gonzaga: There has been a starting time set for the Nov. 11 game on the aircraft carrier in San Diego. Jim Meehan has that news.

EWU: A 1-4 start is not what anyone connected with the Eagles wanted. But thanks to how good the Big Sky is, Eastern has another chance this week to turn the season around. Fifth-ranked, and undefeated, Sacramento State comes to Cheney on Saturday, presenting not only a challenge but an opportunity as well. Dan Thompson has this preview. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana is ready to welcome the Vandals to Missoula. … Montana State had a big defensive play turn around last week’s game. Next up is a trip to Northern Colorado. … Northern Arizona could sure use another road win.

Idaho: It’s not often we pass along stories about women’s soccer programs but we have one today. Pete Harriman has this piece on the Vandals stingy defense, anchored by a freshman goalkeeper.

Preps: The football season is in the final stretch. There are good matchups this weekend. Dave Nichols delves into all of them with this preview. … Dave also has a roundup of Wednesday’s action.

Seahawks: Will Irvin help a bad run defense? … There was one big holding call in New Orleans. Carroll says he received an explanation. … Tariq Woolen is playing well. … By the way, Carroll is rooting for the M’s. When explaining a possible starting time change – if the Mariners are playing Sunday, the Hawks will kick at 2:30 to try to limit that crossover – Carroll said he’s hoping it happens. Good for him. … Rashaad Penny has already had surgery. Will he return to Seattle to play next year? … Geno Smith has Arizona’s attention.

Mariners: Not many teams have the fortitude to bounce back from a blow as stunning as the M’s experienced Tuesday. Larry Stone delves into the history. And Adam Jude delves into the players’ feelings. … Who made the decision to have Robbie Ray pitch Tuesday. Ryan Divish explains the process. Here’s the key sentences: “Prior to every series and every game, the Mariners develop pitching plans, particularly for bullpen usage. It’s based on matchups, advanced scouting reports, in-house data based on the Mariners proprietary analytics and algorithms, overall reliever health, prior usage, availability of relievers and more. These meetings consist of Servais, pitching coach Pete Woodworth, bullpen coach Trent Blank, members of the baseball operations and analytics staff, advance scouts and others in the organization. The Mariners have more daily meetings than any team in baseball, and a daily pitching meeting is paramount.” In other words, if you hated the decision, don’t just blame Scott Servais. Blame the organization. … It was a bad loss for a city used to bad losses.

Kraken: Seattle opened its second season in Anaheim. It was like an old-time movie we once saw. The game started with a bang and ended chitty. The Kraken lost in overtime. … One player was not available but it wasn’t because he was hurt.

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• It’s time. Time to have the sprinkler system winterized. This is always one of the saddest days of the year. Another reminder that, yes, winter is coming. Have we mentioned we’re not a huge fan anymore of the season from hell? By the way, it seems cooler weather is just around the corner. Oh joy. Until later …