The AL Wild Card Series opens with a matchup between the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, starting at 2:32 p.m. ET.
The Tigers are road underdogs (+129) versus the Astros (-153). The probable pitchers are Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA) for the Astros against Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) for the Tigers.
The Astros won their last contest versus the Guardians by a 4-3 score Saturday, with Justin Verlander picking up the win pitching going six innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five. Mauricio Dubon went 2-for-4 with two doubles to lead them offensively.
The Tigers were handed a 9-5 loss to the White Sox Sunday. Kerry Carpenter (1-for-5 with a home run and four RBI) led the way offensively, while Kenta Maeda got the loss on the mound after going 4 2/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on five hits while striking out five.
Ahead of watching the Astros vs. Tigers, here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s playoff action, including viewing options.
Houston Astros vs. Detroit Tigers odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 9:17 p.m. ET. For a full list of Sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Astros (-153, bet $153 to win $100)
- Underdog: Tigers (+129, bet $100 to win $129)
- Over/under: 6.5
Astros vs. Tigers: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
- Game Time: 2:32 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Minute Maid Park
- TV Channel: ABC
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Astros stats and trends
Astros betting records
- This season, the Astros have won 67 out of the 117 games, or 57.3%, in which they’ve been favored.
- Houston has entered 57 games this season favored by -153 or more and is 39-18 in those contests.
- The moneyline for this contest implies a 60.5% chance of a victory for the Astros.
- Houston’s games have gone over the total in 65 of its 161 chances.
- The Astros are 80-80-0 against the spread this season.
Framber Valdez (Astros probable starter)
- Valdez (15-7) takes the mound for the Astros in his 29th start of the season. He’s put together a 2.91 ERA in 176 1/3 innings pitched, with 169 strikeouts.
- His most recent time out was on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, when the left-hander threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three earned runs while giving up eight hits.
- The 30-year-old has put up an ERA of 2.91, with 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings, in 28 games this season. Opponents have a .221 batting average against him.
- Valdez is trying to record his 18th quality start of the season.
- Valdez is aiming for his 15th straight outing lasting five or more innings. He averages 6.3 innings per appearance on the hill.
- He has held his opponents without an earned run in six of his 28 appearances this season.
- He will face off against a Tigers team that is hitting .234 as a unit (23rd in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .385 (22nd in MLB) with 162 total home runs (24th in MLB).
- In seven innings over one appearance against the Tigers this season, Valdez has a 2.57 ERA and a 1.143 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .222.
- Among qualifying pitchers in MLB play this season, the 30-year-old’s 2.91 ERA ranks fifth, 1.106 WHIP ranks 16th, and 8.6 K/9 ranks 27th.
Astros batting stats
- The Astros rank 10th in Major League Baseball with 190 home runs.
- Hitters for Houston rank eighth in the majors with a combined .418 team slugging percentage.
- The Astros have a team batting average of .262 this season, which ranks third among MLB teams.
- Houston has scored the 11th-most runs in the majors this season with 740 (4.6 per game).
- The Astros are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking seventh with an OBP of .322.
- Houston has shown patience at the plate this season with the third-best rate of strikeouts per game (7.3) among MLB offenses.
Tigers stats and trends
Tigers betting records
- The Tigers have been victorious in 46, or 48.9%, of the 94 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
- This season, Detroit has been victorious nine times in 30 chances when named as an underdog of at least +129 or worse on the moneyline.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Tigers have a 43.7% chance of walking away with the win.
- Detroit and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 78 of its 161 opportunities.
- The Tigers have an against the spread mark of 87-73-0 in 160 games with a line this season.
Tarik Skubal (Tigers probable starter)
- Skubal (18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 192 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Tigers, his 32nd of the season.
- The lefty last pitched on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he tossed seven scoreless innings while giving up two hits.
- The 27-year-old has put together a 2.39 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings across 31 games this season, while giving up a batting average of .201 to opposing hitters.
- Skubal is trying to collect his 23rd quality start of the year.
- Skubal is seeking his 17th straight outing lasting five or more innings. He averages 6.2 frames per start.
- He has had seven appearances this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.
- He meets an Astros offense that ranks 11th in the league with 740 total runs scored while batting .262 as a unit. His opponent has a collective .418 slugging percentage (eighth in MLB action) and has hit a total of 190 home runs (10th in the league).
- Skubal has a 4.26 ERA and a 1.263 WHIP against the Astros this season in 12 2/3 innings pitched, allowing a .260 batting average over two appearances.
- The 27-year-old’s 2.39 ERA ranks second, .922 WHIP ranks second, and 10.7 K/9 ranks fifth among qualifying pitchers this season.
Tigers batting stats
- The Tigers rank 24th in MLB action with 162 home runs. They average 1.0 per game.
- This season, Detroit’s .385 slugging percentage is 22nd in baseball.
- The Tigers are 23rd in MLB with a .234 batting average.
- Detroit scores the 19th-most runs in baseball (682 total, 4.2 per game).
- The Tigers’ .300 on-base percentage is the third-worst in the majors.
