The Detroit Tigers are playing the Houston Astros today in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series. The game will take place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, starting at 2:32 p.m. ET (1:32 p.m. CT). You can catch the game live on ABC or listen to Dan Dickerson on the call on the MLB App or on 97.1 the Ticket. Tarik Skubal will start for the Tigers, facing off against Houston’s Framber Valdez​.
This is how the roster shapes out for the AL Wild Card round.
PITCHERS (12):Â Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, Tarik Skubal, Will Vest
POSITION PLAYERS (14): Kerry Carpenter, Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene, Andy Ibáñez, Jace Jung, Colt Keith, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Zach McKinstry, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Jake Rogers, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson, Matt Vierling.
Keider Montero and Kenta Maeda, who both pitched on Sunday’s finale, were left off the playoff roster. Montero between Triple-A Toledo and Detroit, pitched a career high 146.2 innings this season so it could be the case of giving him a bit of a break or possibly letting him pitch in the next round against Cleveland. Mostly notably for Houston, former Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander will not be on the playoff roster.
Madea’s last appearance prior to Sunday was back on September 20 against Baltimore. As far as the starting lineup looks for today, no Colt Keith in the lineup as Andy Ibáñez starts at second base instead.
Stat dump
The Tigers went 21-12 against left-handed starters this season, including winning eight straight games against lefty starters to close the season. The Tigers’ offense averaged 4.76 runs/game against southpaw starters, which ranked third in the American League, compared to an average of 4.07 runs/game against right-handed starters.
Here we go. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/BHcNrgVWeC
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) October 1, 2024
Here’s how the Detroit Tigers have faired against Valdez in his career.
| Rk | Player | B | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GIDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andy Ibáñez | R | 17 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .286 | .412 | .286 | .697 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Spencer Torkelson | R | 16 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .286 | .375 | .429 | .804 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Riley Greene | L | 13 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .273 | .385 | .273 | .657 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Matt Vierling | R | 13 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .273 | .333 | .364 | .697 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Jake Rogers | R | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .250 | .400 | .250 | .650 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Parker Meadows | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .000 | .667 | .000 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Wenceel Pérez | B | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Brown 
Jayden Hewitt