Behind Jeremy Pena, Astros chase series win vs. Brewers

Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena routinely is lauded for his production and personality, and the Astros missed both while he spent 33 games on the injured list earlier this season because of a hamstring strain.

With Pena back in the lineup, the Astros are reaping dividends. Pena finished 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs in the Astros' 9-2 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, a win that knotted this three-game interleague series heading into the finale on Sunday afternoon.

Pena homered for the first time at home this season and for the third time in his last four starts. Since his reinstatement from the IL on May 18, Pena is hitting .289 with 10 runs and eight RBIs.

"He kind of puts everything together," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "He's our leadoff hitter, he's our quarterback on the field. Keeping him healthy is important; what he means to this team is huge.

"Having him back swinging the bat really well, hitting home runs, we can definitely use that production at the top of the lineup."

Right-hander Tatsuya Imai (2-2, 6.17 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Sunday.

Imai worked the first six innings of a combined no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on Memorial Day, issuing four walks while logging two strikeouts. He recorded a season-high innings total and pitches (97) in his second scoreless outing of 2026.

Imai will make his first career appearance against the Brewers and his first vs. the National League.

For Milwaukee, right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (5-2, 1.83 ERA) is scheduled to start the rubber match of the series.

Misiorowski earned a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Monday after allowing one run on two hits and one walk with 12 strikeouts in seven innings, ending his scoreless innings streak at 29 1/3, the third-longest in franchise history. He has six quality starts and leads the majors in strikeouts (100), WHIP (0.828) and hits per nine innings (4.8).

Misiorowski will face the Astros for the first time in his career. He is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in seven career interleague starts.

Brewers rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat recorded only 13 outs on Saturday, marking the fifth time he failed to complete at least five innings since joining the rotation on April 16, a span of eight starts.

Manager Pat Murphy expressed confidence in Sproat but acknowledged the inherent challenges of an inexperienced pitcher learning on the fly while starting for an organization harboring postseason expectations.

Sproat doesn't have the runway to work through the issues that routinely confound young pitchers, so it might take additional opportunities for him to build the experience required to consistently work deeper into his starts.

"When you have those expectations, the manager is going to have a quicker hook," Murphy said. "How are you going to build up that stamina if your damn manager is taking you out of the game?

"It's not so much that when he learns to pitch, even if his stuff trails off. He'll be able to stay out there when his stuff is a little less."

--Field Level Media