Astros Beat Marlins 5-3 Behind Peña, Paredes Homers and Imai’s Eight Strikeouts

What happened: The Houston Astros beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Tuesday night, with Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes supplying the home-run damage and Tatsuya Imai giving Houston six strikeout-heavy innings. Yahoo Sports reported that Imai improved to 6-4 after allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight.

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The game’s first key swing required a second look. Peña’s first-inning shot was initially ruled a double, but the umpires overturned the call after video showed the ball hit a railing in left-center. That turned an early extra-base hit into a home run and gave Houston immediate leverage in a game that ultimately finished within two runs.

Why it matters: The Astros did not need a blowout to turn this into a useful result. A 5-3 win built on two homers and a controlled six-inning start is the kind of narrow-margin game that matters over a long MLB season, especially when run prevention and power arrive in the same box score. The source does not provide standings context, so the clean takeaway is narrower: Houston converted early offense and Imai’s swing-and-miss outing into a result against Miami.

Pitching read: Imai’s line is the most tournament-relevant part of the night because it gives Houston a repeatable path. This was his fifth start with eight or more strikeouts, according to Yahoo Sports. The walks kept the outing from being spotless, but one run over six innings with eight strikeouts gives a club enough structure to manage the final third of a game without chasing from behind.

Game shape: Peña’s reviewed homer changed the early scoring math, while Paredes added another confirmed home run later in the Astros’ 5-3 win. The source does not specify inning-by-inning scoring beyond Peña’s first-inning play, so the important confirmed detail is not a full sequence but the composition of Houston’s win: two home runs, Imai’s six innings, and enough late-game protection to keep Miami at three runs.

What to watch: Imai’s strikeout trend is worth tracking more than one individual final score. If eight-strikeout starts are becoming a regular feature rather than an occasional spike, Houston has a starter who can change short series and tight regular-season stretches by missing bats. For Miami, the available report confirms the loss but does not provide enough detail to judge offensive approach beyond the three-run output.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source are the 5-3 Astros win, home runs by Peña and Paredes, Imai’s 6-4 record, his six-inning line, and the replay reversal on Peña’s first-inning homer. Follow-up would be needed for standings impact, bullpen usage, full scoring chronology, and any postgame comments.