Teng’s First Start Cut Short as Astros Drop Series Opener in Baltimore
Kai-Wei Teng’s first start of the season lasted just three innings, and the Houston Astros could not overcome an early deficit, falling to the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 Tuesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Teng, moved from the bullpen to the…
Astros Turn to Kai-Wei Teng as Rotation Crisis Forces Bold Move
For the better part of a month, Kai-Wei Teng has been one of the few reliable arms in a Houston Astros bullpen under siege. On Tuesday in Baltimore, he gets a different assignment. Teng will start the series opener against the Orioles, manager Joe Espada…
Astros’ $54M Arm Takes Next Step: Imai Set for Rehab Start Tuesday
Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai is set to make a rehab start Tuesday for Double-A Corpus Christi against the Frisco Roughriders, the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, manager Joe Espada announced Sunday. Imai has been on the 15-day…
Arrighetti Dominates as Astros Avoid Sweep with 7-4 Win Over Yankees
Spencer Arrighetti gave the Houston Astros exactly what they needed Sunday afternoon—and exactly what they have been unable to find for most of the first month of the season. Working seven innings against the American League’s best team, Arrighetti…
Astros Get Rare Good News: Hader Nears Rehab, Imai Set for Next Step
In the middle of a difficult start to the season, the Houston Astros got some encouraging injury news Saturday. Closer Josh Hader threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session at Daikin Park before Saturday’s game, facing Astros hitters…
Astros Bullpen Meltdown Continues as Sousa’s Return Unravels in Loss to Yankees
The Houston Astros activated Bennett Sousa before Saturday’s game hoping the left-hander could provide some stability to a bullpen that has been one of the worst in baseball. What they got instead was a microcosm of everything that has gone wrong…
Astros Crushed 12-4 by Yankees as McCullers’ First-Inning Issues Continue
Lance McCullers Jr. came to the ballpark Friday with a plan. Aware that first innings had been his undoing in recent starts, he moved up his pregame bullpen session, sharpened his focus on location, and made the workout more intense than usual. He wanted…
Astros Injury Update: Imai Nears Return, Sousa Could Be Back This Weekend
The Houston Astros got some encouraging injury news Friday, with right-hander Tatsuya Imai taking a significant step toward returning to the rotation and reliever Bennett Sousa nearing a comeback from the injured list. Tatsuya Imai Imai threw his second…
Astros Eye Rotation Move for Surging Kai-Wei Teng
When the Houston Astros acquired Kai-Wei Teng from the San Francisco Giants in January, the expectation was that he would serve as a swingman—a long reliever capable of eating innings when the rotation needed help. Nobody anticipated he would become one…
Astros Pitching Is Evolving—They Just Can’t Stay Healthy
The most important trend in pitching right now has nothing to do with velocity. It has to do with shapes. As Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci recently detailed, pitchers across baseball are adding weapons to their arsenals at an unprecedented…