For the third time this season, Tatsuya Imai failed to make it out of the first inning Monday against the Angels, prompting the inevitable question of how much longer the Astros can keep him in the rotation.
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Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell, right, tosses his bat after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell (26) cannot reach a home run hit by Los Angeles Angels’ Vaughn Grissom during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai puts rosin on his hand after walking Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout during the first inning of a baseball game, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena pours water on his face before a baseball game against Los Angeles Angels, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Miguel Ullola (66) tries on a pink cowboy hat before a baseball game against Los Angeles Angels Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai (45) is removed by manager Joe Espada, left, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Taylor Trammell high-fives a teammate in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Los Angeles Angels during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Cristian Javier pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve (27) watches the action during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Josh Hader (71) smiles after earning the save during their win over the Los Angeles Angels during a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve (27) and Isaac Paredes (15) celebrate their win over the Los Angeles Angels during a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ LaMonte Wade, Jr. (31) reacts to walking to force in the go-ahead run against the Los Angeles Angels during the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes (15) heads to first base after being hit by a pitch from Los Angeles Angels’ Sam Bachman forcing in the tying run during the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 27, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Feast or famine is suboptimal in a unit starving for stability. Scattered across Tatsuya Imai’s first season in Major League Baseball are glints of a pitcher starting to settle in. Uncertain each time he takes the mound is whether that version will appear or one prone to meltdowns.
The latter resurfaced Monday night, as Imai failed to complete the first inning in the opener of a series against the Angels, a game in which the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 win but handed their bullpen a heavy workload again behind a right-hander who has repeatedly been unable to protect it.
It was the third time in 15 starts this season Imai has failed to finish the first inning. Another time, he was removed in the second. Eight of the right-hander’s starts have comprised fewer than five innings. Through his first 58 ⅔ major-league innings, Imai owns a 5.83 ERA.
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There have been strong outings, too. Yet the recurrence of collapses such as Monday’s create the sense that Imai is still unable to shed the growing pains that have defined his rookie season and, perhaps, the question of how much longer a club trying to contend in the American League can sustain them.
“His stuff is so good, and when he’s on, his stuff is good and he can get people out and get swing-and-misses,” manager Joe Espada said Monday night.
“I think it’s premature right now to talk about (his future in the rotation). I do want us to celebrate this win and there was a lot of things we did really well. And then we’ll come here tomorrow and we’ll sit down with Imai and we’ll look at some video and talk to him about some things. But I want to make sure we highlight what we did really well and we did a lot of things very well in tonight’s game.”
While the outcome salved how the game started for Houston, and Espada will not publicly excoriate his players, it seemed far from a ringing endorsement. The Astros have displayed patience, however, so far with a pitcher navigating myriad adjustments both on and off the field in his transition to MLB.
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Already, Houston’s rotation is in a tenuous state. Hunter Brown and Peter Lambert hold two spots. Two others may soon belong to pitchers coming off elbow surgery, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski. Two of the staff’s three leaders in innings, Spencer Arrighetti and Mike Burrows, are on the injured list.
Dwindling depth and an $18 million salary have surely cushioned Imai’s rotation spot. They are, at least, realities that magnify his performance. As August nears, with added urgency for a team hovering below .500, the inconsistency there becomes only a larger issue with which the Astros must reckon.
An inflection point might already have arrived if not for attrition, and the overall struggles of a rotation with the majors’ third-highest ERA. Acquiring a starter at the Aug. 3 trade deadline could expand their options, but general manager Dana Brown has already declared an outfield bat their foremost priority.
Their capacity to make multiple additions is unclear, as might be their status as buyers if not for Brown’s public insistence and a forgiving American League. The Astros were 53-55 but just two games out of first place in the AL West and 1 ½ games back of a wild-card spot after their win Monday night.
BATTERS
AVG
OBA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
CS
E
Team Totals
.241
.316
3627
495
874
159
8
147
472
356
878
37
14
45
Alvarez
.323
.433
384
73
124
20
0
34
78
71
80
1
0
2
Peña
.316
.370
231
49
73
10
0
11
30
17
42
8
1
5
Correa
.279
.369
122
22
34
8
0
3
16
18
26
1
0
1
Delgado
.273
.314
33
3
9
1
0
1
4
2
5
0
0
2
Paredes
.257
.350
369
43
95
18
1
14
58
40
64
0
0
6
Shewmake
.256
.272
78
10
20
4
0
3
9
2
13
0
0
2
Allen
.250
.295
96
14
24
3
0
1
11
6
23
2
0
2
Trammell
.242
.317
128
18
31
5
1
5
14
11
47
3
1
1
Diaz
.233
.261
189
20
44
9
0
6
23
7
32
0
1
2
Walker
.232
.309
383
51
89
20
1
20
61
35
102
0
0
0
Dezenzo
.232
.303
69
11
16
4
0
1
3
7
27
1
0
1
Altuve
.228
.293
324
48
74
14
1
12
30
29
77
2
2
4
Harris
.226
.286
31
4
7
0
1
0
4
2
6
2
0
0
Loperfido
.216
.314
102
13
22
7
1
1
12
14
31
1
1
1
Vázquez
.215
.267
191
18
41
7
0
5
23
14
38
1
0
0
Smith
.206
.284
344
41
71
13
1
13
36
33
92
10
1
4
Meyers
.206
.264
136
14
28
6
0
3
11
10
30
1
2
0
Matthews
.197
.250
208
23
41
5
1
7
22
15
71
4
4
1
Wade
.169
.319
59
9
10
2
0
2
11
13
16
0
0
0
Price
.167
.231
12
1
2
1
0
0
0
1
6
0
0
1
Cole
.157
.189
51
4
8
1
0
3
8
1
21
0
0
1
Spence
.156
.229
32
3
5
1
0
0
2
2
12
0
1
1
Johnson
.143
.294
14
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
Whitcomb
.130
.167
23
2
3
0
0
2
5
1
11
0
0
0
Salazar
.056
.227
18
0
1
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
___
PITCHERS
W
L
ERA
G
GS
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
Team Totals
53
55
4.72
108
108
32
956.1
860
540
502
148
468
948
Meyers
0
0
0.00
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Santa
0
1
1.17
10
0
0
15.1
8
6
2
1
6
9
Hader
3
1
1.29
23
0
13
21
10
3
3
1
10
33
VanWey
1
0
1.50
5
0
0
6
5
2
1
0
0
5
Okert
3
1
2.09
51
1
0
51.2
31
13
12
5
12
52
Lambert
8
5
3.03
17
17
0
98
72
33
33
11
38
94
Brown
2
1
3.45
9
9
0
47
32
20
18
5
28
50
Pearson
1
0
3.60
16
0
1
20
16
10
8
1
12
16
Blubaugh
4
2
3.74
40
0
0
67.1
53
30
28
9
32
69
King
2
3
3.74
43
0
6
45.2
46
21
19
6
16
36
Teng
5
6
4.35
25
10
0
68.1
62
37
33
10
30
67
De Los Santos
1
3
4.41
46
0
5
49
47
27
24
6
12
47
Sousa
0
0
4.50
8
0
0
6
6
4
3
0
5
6
Arrighetti
7
5
4.60
17
17
0
88
68
47
45
12
50
87
Abreu
2
3
5.05
39
0
6
35.2
29
22
20
7
28
46
Roa
0
1
5.19
7
0
0
8.2
10
5
5
1
7
6
Bolton
0
1
5.40
8
3
1
20
21
12
12
3
14
22
Ullola
0
0
5.40
3
0
0
5
4
3
3
2
1
7
Imai
6
4
5.83
15
15
0
58.2
50
38
38
9
40
72
Burrows
4
9
5.99
18
17
0
94.2
112
69
63
21
35
75
McCullers
2
3
6.86
8
8
0
39.1
38
32
30
7
22
43
Javier
1
1
7.17
8
4
0
21.1
24
17
17
3
15
21
Murray
0
0
7.43
8
0
0
13.1
19
11
11
1
7
8
Weiss
0
3
7.62
9
2
0
26
35
24
22
8
20
30
Blanco
0
1
8.10
2
2
0
10
6
9
9
4
6
12
France
0
0
8.10
3
0
0
6.2
6
6
6
1
5
4
Salazar
0
0
9.00
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
Alexander
1
1
9.33
4
2
0
18.1
21
19
19
4
8
14
Gordon
0
0
11.57
4
1
0
9.1
21
12
12
6
3
11
Muñoz
0
0
15.75
3
0
0
4
7
7
7
3
6
6
Before it, Espada seemed to acknowledge their liminal state: “We’ve been playing really good baseball here the last week,” he said. “We know what we need to do, we know what the next week is. We have to take care of business to put ourselves in a good spot during this deadline. And we intend to do that.”
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Imai, then, recorded just two outs before Espada deemed it necessary to remove him. Imai faced seven batters, walked four and allowed one hit. A mound visit by pitching coach Josh Miller two batters in had little effect. Two of his walks were on four pitches, another on five. Imai threw 33 pitches, 12 strikes.
“It’s just, simply, I wasn’t able to put it in the zone,” Imai said, through an interpreter.
Adjusting to different mounds on the road is one change Imai and the Astros have noted, yet the impact has not been uniform. Two of his best starts featured six no-hit innings at Texas and six scoreless innings in Detroit, environs new to him. Imai did not cite the mound, or any other issue, after his start Monday.
“I’m not really satisfied whenever I go short,” Imai said. “There’s a lot of people who are cheering me and a lot of people who are giving me opportunities and I’m really thankful for the opportunity. But I’m just not really satisfied and I’m not happy with the result that I got today and the short (starts) that I’ve had in the season.”
This one, three days removed from Arrighetti exiting his start in Chicago after an inning with a foot injury, threatened to upend the Astros’ bullpen again at the onset of a critical week. Instead, two relievers combined to cover the next 7 ⅓ innings and, ultimately, afford them the opportunity for a comeback.
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AJ Blubaugh defused a bases-loaded jam inherited from Imai in the first and worked two more innings. Cristian Javier, pitching for the first time in eight days, then gave the Astros five scoreless innings on 70 pitches, an efficient outing that perhaps introduced a wrinkle into their upcoming rotation calculus.
“We really needed that as a team; he needed that,” Espada said of Javier. “He’s been keeping his head up, he’s been grinding through this with us, and we really needed him to step up and he did.”
Stowed in the bullpen since returning from a shoulder strain, Javier, the Astros’ highest-paid pitcher, had not thrown more than three innings in a major-league outing since his injury. He held the Angels to three hits, struck out seven batters and walked none in what might have doubled as an audition.
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It ruled Javier out of a spot start in Wednesday’s series finale, if that was a consideration. Wesneski is in Anaheim and a candidate to be activated to pitch that game. Beyond that, and a trade deadline six days away, more rotation decisions for the Astros may await.