Kai-Wei Teng is expected to start at home against the Pirates on June 5, as the Astros revert to a five-man rotation.

After recently optioning Jason Alexander to Triple-A, the Houston Astros are expected to return to a five-man starting rotation. Multiple team reporters reported today that Kai-Wei Teng is set to start as the pitcher in the home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 8:10 AM Beijing time on June 5. This will also be Teng's first career matchup against the Pirates' lineup in the majors. The Pirates will counter with 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Jared Jones as their starter.

This will be Teng's 19th appearance and 6th start of the season. After officially entering the starting rotation in mid-May, he pitched five innings on May 17, allowing only two hits and no runs. On May 24, he went six innings, again allowing just two hits and no runs, combining for 13 strikeouts across those two outings. Although his most recent start on May 30 saw him give up three runs over five innings, failing to win a third consecutive start, he still recorded seven strikeouts, demonstrating excellent command.

The Pirates had a 31-28 record before June 1 this season, giving them a chance to end a decade-long streak of sub-.500 winning percentages. They have won five of their last seven games, averaging 5.7 runs per contest during that span, with two games scoring at least ten runs.

Teng has posted a .446 OPS against right-handed hitters this season, allowing just one home run in 80 plate appearances. However, against left-handed batters, his OPS jumps to .766, with four home runs surrendered in 87 plate appearances.

The Pirates are expected to field a lineup with only two pure right-handed hitters. Among their four players with an OPS of .800 or higher, three are left-handed and one is a switch-hitter, including Spencer Horwitz, Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, and Ryan O'Hearn, who has just been placed on the injured list.