Kai-Wei Teng struck out nine batters Monday night. He also didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, and the Houston Astros lost 9-3 to the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park.
Teng generated whiffs at a remarkable rate—nine strikeouts in 3.1 innings—but couldn’t stop the Tigers from doing damage when they did make contact. Detroit hit three home runs off Teng, all to the pull side, and a fourth and fifth came against relievers later in the game.
Tigers third baseman Colt Keith was the story. Keith, who entered with just one home run on the season, hit three on the night—a two-run shot in the second, another two-run blast in the seventh, and a solo homer in the ninth—driving in a career-high six runs. Spencer Torkelson and Kevin McGonigle also homered.
Teng’s final line of five earned runs, six hits, two walks, nine strikeouts in 3.1 innings was difficult to process. He gave up a run in the first without allowing a hit, walking two and hitting two batters. His fastball averaged 92.5 mph, down from 93.9 entering the night, which Espada noted as a potential concern.
“That’s kind of a tough one there to evaluate because the stuff was really, really, really good today,” manager Joe Espada said.
Teng said he didn’t feel fatigued but acknowledged he lacked command.
“I would say I didn’t really have the ability to attack the strike zone and that was why I wasn’t able to go as deep as I can today,” Teng said through an interpreter.
The loss was also a bullpen drain the Astros could ill afford. Steven Okert, A.J. Blubaugh, Jayden Murray, and Bryan Abreu combined to cover 5.2 innings, the third time in four nights Houston needed at least five pitchers to finish a game—all of this coming the night before Hunter Brown makes his season return.
Detroit’s scheduled starter, Troy Melton, arrived at the ballpark with back tightness and never took the mound. The Tigers pieced together a bullpen game and won handily.
The Astros got their only offense in the third on back-to-back home runs from Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve against Jacob Waguespack.
Houston is 33-41. Hunter Brown starts Tuesday against Framber Valdez and the Tigers. Catcher Yainer Diaz is also expected to be activated from the injured list, returning from a left oblique strain that has kept him out since May 4.
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