Houston Astros rookie right-hander Tatsuya Imai traveled back to Houston on Saturday after experiencing right arm fatigue following Friday's 9-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Imai recorded just one out in the game, struggling with command. No injury signs appeared during or immediately after the outing.
Imai faced eight hitters in his third career start, walking four, hitting one, allowing one hit and three runs. He threw only 17 of 37 pitches for strikes, achieving a 54 percent strike rate through three starts. Postgame, Imai noted the hard mound at T-Mobile Park and cooler weather differed from Japan, adding he was still adjusting to Major League baseballs and mounds earlier this year. There was no indication of injury at the time. The Astros signed Imai to a three-year, $54 million contract in January from Japan as their top offseason pitching addition to bolster depth. That effort faces early tests, with this marking the third starter in a week sent to Houston for checks—Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier both landed on the injured list with grade 2 shoulder strains. Three-fifths of the rotation has encountered injury issues in the first 14 games. Houston enters a stretch of 13 straight games without rest, its pitchers posting a 6.32 ERA—relievers at 7.08 over 61 innings, starters at 5.55 over 60. The team has not announced the rotation beyond Lance McCullers Jr.'s Saturday start. Spencer Arrighetti, who struck out seven over six innings for Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, figures to join next week, while Jason Alexander impressed with seven scoreless innings against the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate Tuesday.
