Astros shift starter Tatsuya Imai to bullpen after rough start

HOUSTON -- Houston starter Tatsuya Imai will pitch out of the bullpen for Houston's weekend series against the Texas Rangers, manager Joe Espada said Friday before the start of the three-game set after the right-hander struggled in his last start.

Espada said that for now he expects the move to just be for this series.

"We're working with him," Espada said. "We want to try to get him right because when he's on the mound and he's a starter, his stuff is really good ... (and) he can be effective."

Imai got just two outs while giving up two runs and walking four Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Angels. He is in his first year with the Astros after signing a three-year, $54 million contract following eight professional seasons in Japan.

He has had an up-and-down season, at times pitching extremely well but struggling in several starts. He started and pitched six innings of a combined no-hitter against the Rangers on May 25.

But he has lasted three innings or less in five of his 15 starts, including failing to get out of the first inning three times. He's 6-4 with a 5.83 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 58 innings.

"We're going to work on a couple of things that we noticed in his last start and just trying to get him going that way," Espada said. "Hopefully we can give him a few innings during the series. But if not, I think we've got a pretty good plan here moving forward to see how we can get him back."

Espada said Imai did pitch out of the bullpen in Japan but that he hasn't done it much. Espada is confident Imai can handle the temporary switch.

"I think he can quickly get ready," Espada said. "But we're just going to go one inning at a time. We're going to make sure that we give him enough time to bring him in the game."