Tatsuya Imai
Breakdown
Performance
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July 8, 2026
No-decision against Washington
Imai did not factor into Tuesday's decision against the Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three across 3.2 innings.
Analysis
Imai put the Astros on the back foot early by giving up a leadoff home run to James Wood. Imai yielded another run in the second and ran up his pitch count to 84 (52 strikes) before being pulled in the fourth inning. He's recorded only 15 outs over his last two starts, which comes after he tossed back-to-back quality starts with 10-plus strikeouts in both of those outings, and he sits at a 6.06 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 52 innings this season. Whether Imai gets one last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break largely depends on whether Ronel Blanco (elbow) will be activated off the 60-day IL for the Astros' weekend road series against the Rangers.
July 2, 2026
Gets only four outs in loss
Imai (5-4) picked up the loss Wednesday against the Twins after allowing five runs on four hits and five walks across 1.1 innings. He struck out two.
Analysis
The start versus Minnesota was the latest hiccup in Imai's up-and-down first season in MLB, as he struggled with control and the long ball Wednesday. After striking out 21 in his previous two starts, Imai was unable to get through the second inning for the third time this season. He was handed his first loss since May and saw his ERA and WHIP rise to 6.14 and 1.47, respectively. The 28-year-old's next turn through the rotation lines up to be a road matchup with the Nationals.