The Key to Astros Kai-Wei Teng's Bounce-Back Performance Against the Tigers

June hasn't been too kind to the Houston Astros reliever turned starter, but there are pieces to his game that could get him over the hump against the Detroit Tigers in the series opener.

Houston Astros pitcher Kai-Wei Teng (17) walks to the dugout after retiring the side. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros return home after splitting their road trip games against both the Los Angeles Angels and the Kansas City Royals, to take on the Detroit Tigers with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm CDT.

Not only is this series a big one for the Astros, who sit four games back of first place in the AL West standings, but it also holds weight on their path back to playoff contention. The Tigers are a team scuffling at the moment, which should only motivate game one starter Kei-Wei Teng.

Teng has done well since adapting to this starting role in Houston after coming over from the San Francisco Giants earlier this year. However, the month of June hasn't been too kind to the reliever turned starter, as noticed by his increasing numbers in all the wrong categories.

How Teng Can Salvage June

Houston Astros pitcher Kai-Wei Teng (17) shakes hands with catcher Collin Price (37). | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Through two starts into the month, Teng has gone a total of nine innings, allowing 14 hits, five walks, six strikeouts, and has allowed 12 runs, nine of them earned runs, giving him a 9.00 ERA. Entering the month, Teng held a 2.57 ERA, but now it's inflated to 3.71 ahead of Monday's scheduled start.

What made Teng so successful in May was limiting hard contact. He's going to walk a batter or two seemingly every start, but if he can work around those walks with soft contact in the infield, he'll have success. He allowed 13 hits over 22.1 innings in May, as batters have made him pay for his high walk rate.

Against the Tigers, Teng has to be looking to punch out their batters if he wants to have success. Hitters are hitting .200 against Teng at Daikin Park this season, and Detroit holds a .232 AVG as a team on the season, matching well for Teng.

Teng's sweeper will be his secret weapon if he can effectively locate it against Detroit, as the pitch indicates a 23.5% put-away rate and a whiff percentage of 31.1, according to Baseball Savant.

Detroit enters the game with just 11 road wins this season, but with the drive to claw back into the playoff picture themselves. The game and series are bound to be competitive, but the Astros can set the tone if Teng takes the mound with conviction, rather than his back-to-back blunders to start the month.

Should Houston sweep the Tigers at home, and say the Athletics lose three straight themselves, the Astros will be in sole possession of an AL Wild Card spot and be right back into the thick of things in the AL West. But it all starts with how Teng sets the tone.