The Houston Astros still have not quite figured out who they are this season. But on Thursday night, they got a reminder that their $54 million investment might finally be paying off.
Tatsuya Imai carved through the Detroit Tigers for six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while punching out 10 batters. The 28-year-old right-hander looked nothing like the guy who walked into the game with a 6.15 ERA over his first 10 starts. He looked like someone who belongs.
And his manager noticed.
“I think we are in that stage where he knows he belongs,” Astros skipper Joe Espada told reporters, including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
That kind of vote of confidence from a manager means something, especially for a guy who spent the first eight years of his professional career in Japan and is still adjusting to life in the majors. Imai signed a three-year deal worth up to $63 million before the season, and the early returns were rough. But the underlying numbers suggested he was better than his ERA indicated. His FIP sat at 4.71 heading into Thursday, nearly a run and a half lower than his actual earned run average. He was striking out more than 10 batters per nine innings — the hits were just falling in at the wrong times.
That kind of bad luck can mess with a pitcher’s head. But Imai seems to have turned a corner.
The Astros are sitting 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and they need every ounce of stability they can get from their rotation. If Imai can keep his walk rate under control — he has never had elite command — and stay healthy after some injury issues earlier in his career, he could become a real weapon down the stretch.
Espada’s comments suggest the team sees that potential too. And for a guy trying to prove he can cut it in the big leagues, hearing your manager say you’ve arrived might be the push that keeps him rolling.
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