Things are starting to get serious for the Houston Astros , as they have a chance to win another series on Sunday afternoon in Detroit against the Tigers. Starting the four-game series with a close 2-1 win, followed by a shutout loss , then a come-from-behind win, Houston has played soundly in its last 10 games.
However, when Saturday's game got into the third inning, things started looking bleak for the Astros as starting pitcher Kai-Wei Teng allowed a grand slam to Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter , giving Detroit a 4-3 lead. Luckily, the Astros won the game, but it came at a price for Teng.
Following his blow-up, in which he pitched in 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with just one strikeout, the front office made the decision to option Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land, recalling Miguel Ullola for the series finale.
In June, Teng held a 7.77 ERA after posting impressive numbers as a hybrid pitcher, coming out of the bullpen and starting games. In 22 innings of work, Teng allowed five home runs, nine walks and 32 hits. His demotion should provide him with a less stressful environment to find success on the mound.
Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter), following his outing in Detroit, Teng spoke with the media and highlighted how he feels much different now compared to how he did when he began the season.
"Compared to the start of the season, I would say there's definitely some fatigue and tiredness. The past two seasons, I only pitched 70 to 80 innings a year and, this year, it's only half the season, but I'm already reaching that inning count"
Pitching in 64 innings in 2026 already, Teng has set a new career high in innings pitched, while holding a career low 4.36 season ERA.
Houston Astros pitcher Miguel Ullola (66) poses for a photo during media day. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Ullola might not have the best numbers in Triple-A in 2026 , making his way to the majors holding a 5.48 ERA in 47.2 innings of work for Sugar Land. He's a strikeout machine, however, punching out 64 hitters in the span, and surpassing 100 strikeouts in his last four minor league seasons.
Manager Joe Espada needs some of his bullpen arms to start to pan out in big-time moments, as they hold one of the worst bullpen ERA's in Major League Baseball with a 4.44, which ranks 22nd in the MLB overall and 10th in the American League.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Astros Optioning Kai-Wei Teng Wise Choice After His Postgame Comments .
