One week after one of the worst outings of his career, Tatsuya Imai responded in a massive way Friday night against the Cleveland Guardians. 11 strikeouts and zero walks in a win over the Guardians. A career best and exactly the kind of response the Astros needed to see.
Imai entered Friday 3-3 with a 6.43 ERA. His last outing on June 12 in Kansas City was rough, and he didn't even make it through an entire inning.
The Astros actually skipped him once in the rotation after that outing, but it looks like Imai could be turning a corner once again.
Questions were starting to swirl about his consistency, but if he continues to pitch like he did Friday, those concerns won't be part of the conversation much longer.
Imai ran into trouble in the third when Travis Bazzana led off with a double. But Imai held it together and didn't let the inning get away from him.
He struck out six Guardians across two innings at one stretch. He finished with 11 strikeouts and zero walks, both season and career bests.
Imai has shown flashes of brilliance all season, including the combined no-hitter on May 25 and nine strikeouts against the Athletics back in April. He has already had a hand in some historic moments for this team.
The swings between brilliant and rough have been the story of his rookie season. Friday was the kind of start that shows the talent is undeniable when everything clicks, but consistency is key.
The Astros have a tough stretch ahead and need every starter pulling their weight. If Imai can string together a few more outings like this one, the rotation suddenly looks a lot more dangerous heading into the second half of the season.
The win was the Astros' ninth in June and their third straight, a sign that this team is finally finding some rhythm at the right time. Imai's bounce back start was a big part of that.
This is the version of Imai the Astros signed him to be, and the version they need to keep their pitching staff strong and reliable. If he can build off this start, the rotation gets a lot deeper. A statement game after a really tough week, exactly the kind of redemption he needed.
