Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers was not without its silver linings for the Houston Astros.
Tatsuya Imai turned in his best outing in weeks, and closer Josh Hader may be back in the bullpen before the week is out.
Imai allowed two runs on three hits over six innings against a Brewers lineup that ranks among the most disciplined in baseball. He walked two, struck out five, and threw 59% of his pitches for strikes, which is a notable improvement for a pitcher who has spent much of his first MLB season searching for consistency in the zone. After throwing 110 pitches, he told manager Joe Espada he had more in the tank.
“He was like, ‘I got more in there, I could go back out there for another inning,'” Espada said. “But it was really good how there’s more confidence. There’s a different presence about him when he knows OK, things are starting to go my way. And that’s very important for him, just where he started and where he’s at now.”
The key, Imai said through an interpreter, was finding a comfortable, repeatable position on the mound before starting his delivery, which is something he had struggled with earlier in the season.
“I have to put my body weight on my left heel and I was struggling before,” Imai said. “But for today’s outing I was able to do it most of the time and be comfortable and be able to attack the zone.”
The results bore that out. Imai’s average fastball velocity was higher in his final three innings than his first three, and he recorded each of his nine fastest pitches of the day in the fifth or sixth inning. Over his last three starts, Imai has posted a 2.70 ERA after opening the season with a 6.17 mark. The Brewers scored their only runs on a Jake Bauers two-run homer in the fourth on an elevated slider. Imai did not allow a hit after that.
On the injury front, Hader’s return appears imminent. The left-hander has been on the injured list since the start of the season while recovering from biceps tendinitis, but Espada said Sunday it is “very possible” Hader will be activated during the Astros’ upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which begins Tuesday at Daikin Park. Houston is off Monday.
Hader pitched back-to-back days Wednesday and Thursday on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land, a final step in his buildup. He made nine rehab outings in May across Double-A and Triple-A, striking out 11 and allowing eight hits in 8 2/3 innings.
“It just puts other pitchers in better spots, getting someone that can give you those outs at the end of the game,” Espada said. “But it’s exciting.”
Hader’s return would stabilize a bullpen that entered Sunday tied with the Kansas City Royals for the majors’ highest ERA at 5.22. In his absence, the closing role has been handled by committee, with Bryan King leading the team with six saves and Enyel De Los Santos adding four among five different pitchers who have recorded at least one.
As for second baseman Jose Altuve, Espada did not rule out a return during the Pittsburgh series as well. Altuve has yet to face live pitching as he recovers from a left oblique strain, which is a necessary step before the Astros decide whether he will require a minor-league rehab assignment. That could happen in live batting practice early this week.
Hunter Brown is scheduled to make his third rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Sugar Land in El Paso. Brown threw three innings in his second rehab outing, allowing one hit and striking out five. Cristian Javier is slated to make his first rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi as he continues his recovery from a Grade 2 shoulder strain.
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