Detroit Tigers Set To Face Houston Astros Ace, Two-Time All-Star in Game 1
What the Detroit Tigers have done over the past two months can't be overlooked. Factoring in how young this ball club is, the Tigers should be very proud of what they've accomplished.
Things haven't been easy for them throughout the 162-game season, and they won't get much easier as they head to Houston to take on the Houston Astros in the Wild Card series.
Not only are the Astros arguably the best team in Major League Baseball and have essentially been a dynasty throughout the past decade, but current Detroit manager A.J. Hinch used to coach Houston.
There are many storylines throughout this series, but at the end of the day, the Tigers simply just need to get the job done. That's much easier said than done, but they have the talent to do so.
Game 1 will be the biggest of the series. With Tarik Skubal on the bump for Detroit, he gives them their best chance to win. Winning that first game would also go a long way, as they'd only need to win one more contest in the three-game set.
The Astros will also have their left-handed ace going, as Framber Valdez is expected to get the start in Game 1, according to Julia Morales of the team.
Valdez pitched against the Tigers back in May, allowing two earned runs over 6.0 innings pitched.
However, as Valdez and Houston certainly understand, this is a completely different Detroit team than he faced at the beginning of the campaign.
This Tigers lineup has been clicking, and if that continues, they'll be a tough out in the postseason.
Hopefully, that'll be the case against the two-time All-Star.
