The Houston Astros kicked off their series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. The Astros walked into this series with the potential for it to be a high-scoring game. The Twins have the second most runs in the American League and the Astros have the third most.
The Astros also walked into this road series down a few key components. With Carlos Correa out for the season and Jose Altuve out with an oblique strain, they are without two veterans. For an already struggling team this is just one more blow they can add to a growing list of setbacks.
That being said, yesterday marked Jeremy Peña's return after landing on the injured list with a grade 1 hamstring strain on April 13th. A positive note for Houston.
Jeremy's first plate appearance after being on the IL for just over a month was a hit by pitch. Luckily for him just on the back foot and no big deal, but still a scary start for a key player that the Astros cannot afford to put back on the injured list.
In his fifth start of his Astros career and second since coming off the IL with arm fatigue, Imai was once again relying heavily on his slider. Imai was looking poised and had a couple of strikeouts, but then Josh Bell ended his home run drought off Imai, putting the Twins on the board. In the bottom of the fourth, Imai tripped on his delivery making it an easy call for the umpire to call a balk, sending a runner to second base. He also gave up another homer to Bell, making it 3-0 Twins in the fourth. Despite these hiccups, Imai didn't begin to unravel, and for a pitcher who has struggled to live up to the hype this season, it was an encouraging sign.
The game came to a halt due to some rain as the ground crew came in to quickly roll out a massive waterproof tarp to protect the pitcher's mound, home plate and the infield dirt from getting waterlogged. After roughly a two hour delay the game continued, but with right-handed reliever Jayden Murray taking over on the mound instead of Imai.
By the top of the 7th it was a 6-0 Twins game, but it didn't take long for the Astros to put themselves on the board in the 7th, scoring three runs to make it a 6-3 Twins final. The Twins took game one but with Peña back in the lineup and two games still to play the Astros have a chance to salvage this series.
