ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Houston pitcher Framber Valdez has not allowed a hit through seven innings for the Astros against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.
The 30-year-old left-hander had a perfect game through five innings, but Valdez still faced the minimum of 18 batters through six. Houston led its AL West and Texas rival 2-0.
The perfect game ended when Jonah Heim opened the sixth by reaching on third baseman Alex Bregman’s throwing error. Robbie Grossman then grounded into a double play before Ezequiel Duran was called out on strikes.
Bregman’s error came when he fielded a high chopper on the run and threw low to first baseman Jon Singleton, who couldn’t make the scoop to keep the perfect game intact.
Marcus Semien walked with two outs in the seventh to finally get a fourth batter to the plate in an inning for Texas, but Josh Jung struck out on three pitches. It was Valdez's fifth strikeout.
It's been a little more than a year since Valdez threw the 16th no-hitter in Houston history in a 2-0 victory over Cleveland on Aug. 1, 2023. Ronel Blanco made it 17 against Toronto on April 1.
Texas slugger Corey Seager had one of the hardest-hit outs, flying out to left fielder Yordan Alvarez on the warning track for the second out of the fourth inning.
Valdez needed 78 pitches, 51 strikes, to get through seven innings, including just four in the fifth when Jung and Wyatt Langford flied out on the first pitch and Adolis García struck out on four pitches.
Valdez entered the game 5-0 in his previous seven starts, all Houston victories.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Albert Pena)
U.S. companies had trillions of dollars in value wiped out Thursday after President Donald Trump slapped sweeping tariffs on foreign imports.
Virtually every sector suffered big losses as U.S. financial markets closed with their biggest one-day drop since COVID-19 flattened the global economy five years ago.
Banks, retailers, clothing, airlines and technology companies were among the hardest hit, with consumers expected to cut spending if tariffs lead to higher prices for goods and services.
Many economists called the tariffs much worse than expected, and investors dumped shares in companies they predict will suffer most from what is effectively a business tax.
In many cases that tax will be passed on to consumers. If consumers pull back their spending because of higher prices, businesses will produce fewer goods and economic growth could stall or contract. Consumer spending makes up about 70% of economic activity in the U.S.
“This is a game changer, not only for the U.S. economy but for the global economy," Olu Sonola, Fitch Ratings’ head of U.S. Economic Research, said in a report. "Many countries will likely end up in a recession.”
With a drop of 4.8% in the S&P 500, more than $2 trillion in value vanished, according to Howard Silverblatt, a senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Here's a breakdown of some of the market's worst performing sectors and companies on Thursday.
Airlines had been projecting a strong year for profits. However, if Americans are faced with higher prices for essentials, economists say that could put a crimp in their travel budgets.
United Airlines, down 15.6%
American Airlines, down 10.2%
Delta Air Lines, down 10.7%
Most major shoe and clothing makers have their products made outside of the U.S., meaning they will have to pay a tariff, or import tax, on all the goods that are shipped back into the country for sale here.
Nike, down 14.4%
Under Armour, down 18.8%
Lululemon, down 9.6%
Ralph Lauren, down 16.3%
Levi Strauss, down 13.7%
Big box and online retailers also import a massive amount of their inventory from outside the U.S.
Amazon, down 9%
Target, down 10.9%
Best Buy, down 17.8%
Dollar Tree, down 13.3%
Kohl's, down 22.8%
Companies that make and sell computers, smartphones and other technology source many of their parts from abroad. Some manufacture their entire products overseas, meaning they will have to pay a tariff when those products are shipped back for sale to consumers.
Apple, down 9.2%
HP, down 14.7%
Dell, down 19%
Nvidia, down 7.8%
If the economy slips into a recession, households and businesses will be less likely to borrow money as demand for products and services decline.
Wells Fargo, down 9.1%
Bank of America, down 11.1%
JPMorgan Chase, down 7%
American consumers, feeling less confident about their financial futures this year, have already been pulling back on spending at restaurants as they tighten their budgets and prioritize only essential goods and services.
Starbucks, down 11.2%
Cracker Barrel, down 12.7%
Cheesecake Factory, down 9.4%
Somewhat surprisingly, automakers didn't get hit as hard most other sectors did on Thursday. That could be because most of Ford, GM and Stellantis’ steel and aluminum — which Trump previously announced tariffs on — already comes from the United States, reducing the direct impact the companies would feel from higher duties.
General Motors, down 4.3%
Ford, down 6%
Tesla, down 5.5%
Stellantis, down 9.4%
A screen displays financial news as traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)