Tatsuya Imai made his second start after being placed on the injured list due to arm fatigue. His first appearance back was rough, but yesterday he showed signs of real improvement. Could Imai finally be getting his footing in the major leagues?
It was Imai's fifth start of his Astros career. Imai is still leaning on his slider heavily but proved more effective yesterday, striking out 5 batters on 74 pitches.
Imai was looking poised, 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. However, the weather then rolled in, ending Imai's night.
The game was halted due to rain and after roughly a two hour delay Jayden Murray took over on the mound in place of Imai.
Here is a look at Imai's stats from yesterday and his overall 2026 season numbers, per MLB:
May 18: IP: 4.2, H: 5, ER: 3, HR: 2, SO: 5, Pitches: 74, Record: 1-2
2026 Regular Season: W: 1, L: 2, ERA: 8.31, G: 5, IP: 17.1, SO: 21, WHIP: 1.79
The improvement is there, but he still has a long way to go to meet the expectations everyone had for him. The next start will be another crucial test. If he can build on yesterday's performance the Astros may finally be seeing the pitcher they signed.
