Astros stick with Imai despite rotation instability and poor performance

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada has confirmed that pitcher Tatsuya Imai will make his next start, despite a difficult outing against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. Imai allowed six runs in four innings during a 10-2 loss at Daikin Park, marking his fourth start in the major leagues since returning from arm fatigue.

The performance highlighted significant control issues, with Imai issuing three walks and hitting two batters. These figures bring his 2026 totals to 14 walks and three hit batters in 12 2/3 innings. Espada noted that Imai deviated from a planned strategy involving split-finger and changeup pitches, relying exclusively on fastballs and sliders instead.

Imai also introduced a sinker, replacing his four-seam fastball, a pitch he had not thrown in the 2026 season prior to this game. While the sinker was effective, four of the five hits allowed, including both home runs, came off sliders. Imai, who signed a three-year, $54 million contract in January as the first player the Astros signed directly from Japan, now holds a 9.24 earned run average for the season.

The Astros’ starting rotation has been the most unstable in Major League Baseball this year, with 12 different starters used. The group ranks 30th in ERA at 5.23 and 24th in WAR at 1.8. Only Spencer Arrighetti and Peter Lambert have maintained a sub-3.00 ERA, combining for 2.32 in 10 starts, while all other starters have posted a combined 6.47 ERA in 33 starts.

The loss dropped Houston to a 16-27 record, with their postseason odds falling to 8.2 per FanGraphs. The Mariners improved to 21-22, winning their fourth game in six. Imai, 28, acknowledged the adjustment to the American game, stating he must think more aggressively about throwing in the zone.