The postseason begins on Tuesday with the opener of both American League Wild Card series, and our attention focuses on the clash between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros.
Houston made a huge comeback to win the AL West after going 10-19 in March and April, while Detroit battled their way into the postseason after an incredible September.
The first game of this series will feature Framber Valdez for the Astros against Tarik Skubal of the Tigers, so let’s preview and see our expert’s best bets for this postseason matchup.
If you’re looking for good pitching, you’ve come to the right game. The first match of the postseason will feature Valdez of the Astros against Skubal of the Tigers, which is about as good of a pitching matchup as we could ask for.
Skubal had one of the best regular seasons in recent memory as he accomplished one of the hardest feats a pitcher can do, the triple crown. He led the American League in wins, ERA and strikeouts en route to what is expected to be his first Cy Young award.
It was the first time in a full season since 2011 that a pitcher completed the triple crown, demonstrating just how difficult it is to lead the league in those three categories. The ace didn’t show any signs of fatigue down the stretch either since he posted a 2-0 record with a 1.52 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP in four starts in September.
It was clear that the Tigers were trying to keep Skubal fresh since he completed less than six innings in three of his final six starts of the year, but don’t expect that on Tuesday afternoon. He’s the best arm the Tigers have and AJ Hinch will ride with Skubal through any trouble.
The Tigers should have the pitching advantage, but it’s hard to ignore how well Valdez has performed in the last few months, with the lefty finishing the second half of the regular season with a 1.96 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 12 starts.
He limited hitters to a .168 batting average with a .199 xBA and also raised his strikeout rate to 29 per cent and lowered his walk rate to 8 per cent in those 12 outings.
This match should be a pitcher’s duel for the first half before bullpens get involved, and that’s where Detroit has the advantage.
The Tigers bullpen finished third in ERA and seventh in batting average allowed in September compared to Houston’s, which finished 21st in both categories.
The big three in Detroit’s bullpen are Will Vest, Tyler Holton and Jason Foley, who are all expected to appear in relief after Skubal on Tuesday.
The Tigers have developed the recipe for success between Skubal and those three relievers. This the first time Detroit has been at plus odds for some time with Skubal starting and full advantage can be taken here.
With Valdez looking fantastic in the final few weeks of the season and Skubal arguably the best pitcher in the game right now, few runs could be seen here.
Both teams have a rested bullpen which is going to be heavily used in the next few days. Detroit’s arm barn was lights out in September because of Vest, Holton and Foley, who could appear in the final three innings of Tuesday’s game once Skubal is done.
And although Houston’s bullpen has been inconsistent, they still have one of the best closers in the game.
Josh Hader has lived up to expectations once again, but the problems have been with Hector Neris, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu. In a game like this, one or two runs just might be the difference.
One big question mark surrounding this game is the health of Yordan Alvarez. Houston’s best slugger sprained his knee in the final week of the regular season and sat out the remaining few games.
Alvarez started running and testing the knee out on Sunday in hopes of being fully healthy by Tuesday night. Because of how short the Wild Card series is, Alvarez could return to the starting lineup, but he might not be 100 percent.
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Detroit Tigers | +115 ML |
Houston Astros | -135 ML |
Run Line | Astros -1.5 |
Total Runs | O/U 6.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.