The Houston Astros might be playing better baseball as of late, but losses like the one in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers at home are the gutpunches every team has to learn to deal with. The team will stay in Houston for the upcoming series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Losing by the final score of 2-0, Astros starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai was great for his day on the mound. Completing six innings of work, allowing three hits, two runs and five strikeouts in his 110-pitch outing, Imai is starting to look like the pitcher the franchise went out and added this offseason.
The biggest blow to Imai was his allowing of a two-run home run to Brewers left fielder/first baseman Jake Bauers in the fourth inning. Other than that, Imai worked his way through some traffic on the base paths, now stringing back-to-back impressive outings for H-Town.
Imai’s Takeaways Following Loss
Imai spoke to reporters following his outing and let them in on what was going on in his mind following his eighth start of the season.
“I was very confident in putting it (the ball) in the zone, so I was very happy about that,” Imai said via his translator, courtesy of Space City Home Network on X (formerly Twitter).
“After the first round, I was feeling more confident in my body, so I was able to ramp up. During my (Saitama) Seibu Lions career, I was able to pitch more than 100, the coaches knew I had a tank even after 100 pitches, so I feel more confident after today’s outing to attack the zone with my high intent.”
Imai could start tapping into that side of himself more as the season progresses, especially if the Astros need some help with keeping the bullpen well rested. Manager Joe Espada made the right decision, though, because forcing Imai to go out for a seventh inning already well over the 100 pitch count wouldn’t have made much sense.
Ultimately, adding confidence to his game is what’s going to help him thrive in Major League Baseball, and it was seen in his fastball command.
Imai told reporters that he became confident in his set position, detailing how he puts his body weight on his left heel, something he’s been struggling with a tad this season. He was much more comfortable on the mound, as he looks to take this loss into his next outing, which is scheduled to be against the Athletics on June 6.
