The Houston Astros (1-2) continue their opening 4 game series against the Los Angeles Angels (2-1) this afternoon at Daikin Park.
RHP Tatsuya Imai will make his first big league start for the Astros opposite RHP Jack Kochanowicz and the Angels.
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TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP Tatsura Imai is making his major league debut in a game every Astros fan has been looking forward to for months. Imai comes in with an excellent pedigree from the Japanese Professional League where he was 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA in 163.2 INN. Imai struck out 178 hitters and walked only 45 batters in those innings.
Imai put up great numbers this Spring, making three starts and posting a 0.00 ERA (0ER/6.0 IP) while allowing a microscopic .111 opponent batting average with 7 strikeouts.
Jack Kochanowicz Kochanowicz has been with the Angels since 2024. He spent most of last season in the rotation and pitched a portion of 2024 in Los Angeles. His best season came in 2024 when he was 2-6 with a 3.99 ERA in 11 starts. Last season he was 3-11 with a 6.81 ERA.
This spring, Kochanowicz was 0-0 with five starts. He had a 1.62 ERA in 16.2 INN. He had 15 strikeouts and four walks.
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VS. THE ANGELS: The Astros open this season with a divisional series against the Angels, who the Astros went 8-5 against in 13 games last season. The Astros are 139-84 all time against the Angels and have won the season series against them in every full season dating back to 2015.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, March 29, 1:10 p.m. CST
Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
TV: Space City Sports
Streaming: Space City Sports
Radio: KBME 790 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2
MAI TO DEBUT: RHP Tatsuya Imai is making his MLB debut today after a stellar Spring Training, in which he worked a combined 9.2 scoreless innings across four starts…in January, the Astros signed Imai to a three-year deal…in 2025, he was an All-Star for the Seibu Lions in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB), where he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA (35ER/163.2IP) in 24 games.
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TODAY’S AVAILABILITIES: The Astros clubhouse will be open to approved media at Daikin Park from 10:10-11 a.m. CT…Astros Manager Joe Espada will be made available in the Astros dugout at approx. 11 a.m.
Houston Astros Lineup
SS Jeremy Pena
LF Yordan Alvarez
2B Isaac Parades
DH Jose Altuve
3B Carlos Correa
CF Joey Loperfido
1B Christian Walker
RF Cam Smith
C Christian Vazquez
Los Angeles Angels Lineup
SS Zach Neto
DH Mike Trout
1B Nolan Schanuel
RF Jorge Soler
3B Yoan Moncada
CF Jo Adell
LF Josh Lowe
C Travis d’Arnaud
2B Adam Frazier