Tigers vs Astros: A Crucial Game 2 Showdown
The Detroit Tigers come into today’s matchup with a 1-0 series lead after their 3-1 victory over the tigers vs astros in Game 1 on Tuesday afternoon. Detroit managed to score all three of its runs in the second inning and held off a late rally from Houston, who left the bases loaded in the ninth. Prior to the postseason, the Tigers lost two of three to the White Sox, swept the Rays, and took two of three from the Astros.
During the regular season, the Tigers posted a 3.61 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and held opponents to a .233 batting average. Offensively, Detroit scored 682 runs with a .234 batting average and a .300 on-base percentage. Riley Greene had a standout season, hitting .262 with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs.
On the other side, the Houston Astros, facing elimination after their Game 1 loss, struggled to find their rhythm against Tigers’ starter Tarik Skubal. Before the playoffs, the Astros won both games against the Guardians, dropped two of three to the Mariners, and won three of four against the Angels.
The Astros’ pitching staff finished the regular season with a 3.74 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and a .231 opponent batting average. Their offense scored 740 runs, boasting a .262 batting average and a .322 on-base percentage. Alex Bregman contributed significantly, hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs.
For the Tigers, Tyler Holton will serve as the opener, while the Astros will rely on Hunter Brown. Brown finished the regular season with an 11-9 record, a 3.49 ERA, and a 1.27 WHIP across 170 innings pitched. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, making him a critical asset for Houston today.
The Astros have won 10 of their last 11 playoff games during the day against AL Central opponents, while the Tigers have lost their last five day games against the Astros following a road win. Houston has also covered the run line in each of its last six games as favorites against AL Central opponents after a loss, whereas the Tigers have failed to cover the run line in their last four games as underdogs against the tigers vs astros following a win.
On the other hand, the Tigers have won eight of their last nine games as underdogs after playing the previous day, and they have covered the run line in each of their last eight day games against winning AL opponents. The Astros have lost their last six playoff games as home favorites, while the Tigers have led after five innings in their last six road games against winning AL West teams.
Five of the Astros’ last six games against AL Central opponents have gone under the total runs line, and similarly, five of the Tigers’ last six day games against American League opponents have also gone under the total. Additionally, the ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Tigers’ last 12 day games against AL opponents and in each of the Astros’ last six games as favorites against AL Central teams.
For player prop highlights, Kyle Tucker has homered in three of his last four games against the Tigers, and Yordan Alvarez has hit a double in each of his last three home games against AL opponents. Alex Bregman has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 day game appearances against AL Central teams with winning records. On the Tigers’ side, Matt Vierling has an RBI in three of the Tigers’ last four games as road underdogs against AL West opponents. Javier Baez has homered in each of his last two games against AL West teams with winning records, and Andy Ibanez has a hit in eight of his last nine appearances against the Astros after playing the previous day.
The Astros rank 3rd in the league for strikeouts this season, while also being one of only three teams in the top 10 for both strikeouts and on-base percentage. The Tigers rank 2nd in the league for walks allowed, but have a strong pitching staff, ranking 4th in the league for ERA.
