For five innings, Tatsuya Imai and Troy Melton were locked in a pitcher’s duel. Then Taylor Trammell broke it open.
Trammell’s sixth-inning home run off Melton broke up a bid for perfection and provided all the offense Imai needed, as the Houston Astros edged the Detroit Tigers 2-1 Thursday night at Comerica Park. Houston moved to 40-43, three games under .500, with 20 wins in their last 32 games.
It was a game that lived and died by pitching. Imai allowed two singles and a walk across six scoreless innings, striking out 10. Melton was even sharper, until Trammell ended it. The Tigers right-hander retired his first 16 batters and held the Astros to very little hard contact before Trammell drove a slider deep to right field in the sixth for a 422-foot home run. It was Trammell’s second homer in as many games played after going without one in his first 30 outings with Houston.
With the bullpen depleted from the Toronto series, AJ Blubaugh worked two innings, getting through seven batters with just one hit allowed. Enyel De Los Santos took the ninth in a save situation. Kerry Carpenter flied out, then Dillon Dingler sent a first-pitch fastball over the center-field wall to make it 2-1. Riley Greene followed with a single, but Christian Walker started a game-ending double play on a sharp grounder by Colt Keith.
Jeremy Peña manufactured the insurance run in the ninth. After a leadoff single off Kenley Jansen, Peña stole second, moved to third on a Yordan Alvarez groundout, and scored on an Isaac Paredes sacrifice fly.
Imai has now fanned 21 batters across his last two starts covering 12 innings, walking none. After a rough stretch that included a start in Kansas City where he did not finish the first inning, he has responded with back-to-back dominant outings.
Spencer Arrighetti starts Friday’s game two against Detroit right-hander Keider Montero (3-5, 3.68 ERA) at 4:40 p.m. CT.
Roster Move
Bryan Abreu was reinstated from the restricted list before Thursday’s game, ending a stint that covered only the three games in Toronto. Left-hander Colton Gordon was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move.
Injury Updates
Nick Allen and Braden Shewmake could begin minor league rehab assignments this weekend. LaMonte Wade Jr. could begin rehab games early next week. Lance McCullers Jr. and Ronel Blanco both made rehab starts Thursday — McCullers with Triple-A Sugar Land, Blanco with Double-A Corpus Christi. Hayden Wesneski faced hitters in live batting practice and could begin a rehab assignment next week.
Hunter Brown is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale. Cristian Javier could start Saturday on five days’ rest if the Astros activate him from the injured list.
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