- What: MLB Wild Card Playoff Game
- When: Wednesday, October 2nd
- Who: Detroit Tigers vs. Houston Astros
- Time: 11:32 p.m. PST
- Where: Minute Maid Park (Houston, TX)
The Houston Astros are fighting to keep their season alive and force a game 3 in Detroit in the Wild Card round.
In the series opener, the Astros struggled against Tarik Skubal, the likely AL Cy Young Winner. In this decisive game, the Astros should be able to bounce back against a feisty Tigers team.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers will be relying on their pitching staff and bullpen today. They’ll be sending out Tyler Holton to the mound. He was a solid relief pitcher this season, compiling a 7-2 record with a 2.19 ERA on the season.
Their late run to the postseason is due to its tremendous pitching staff, not so much the bats in the lineup.
Back to work. #RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/XDYXD8xU3z
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) October 2, 2024
They head into the playoffs ranking in the bottom half of the league in most hitting statistics. They are 19th in the league in runs scored, 24th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, and 22nd in slugging.
Being able to keep the momentum going against this Astros pitching will be quite the challenge for this Tigers team. I understand the strategy they will employ today with their pitching staff, I just question if it will be enough to limit this Astros squad.
Houston Astros
Hunter Brown and the rest of the Astros pitching staff will be crucial as they attempt to avoid elimination. Yusei Kikuchi is set to start Game 3, but he may also make a relief appearance if needed on Wednesday.
Brown was one of the best starters in the league this season. He went 11-9 with a 3.49 ERA through 31 appearances this season. The Astros were one of the strongest offensive teams in baseball.
They scored the 11th most runs in the majors, and currently rank third in batting average, seventh in on-base percentage, and eighth in slugging.
Game 2 let's get it!????#Relentless x @HornitosTequila pic.twitter.com/PxzUSSTFT2
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 2, 2024
The Houston Astros have experience and have consistently been a dominant force in the playoffs. They secured the AL West title in seven of the last eight seasons as well as clinching World Series victories in both 2017 and 2022.
Despite reaching the World Series and experiencing losses in 2019 and 2021, the team has shown remarkable consistency by making it to the ALCS for the past seven seasons.
Tigers-Astros Best Bet
While I believe the Astros will be able to take care of the Tigers today and force a third game in Detroit, I don’t want to back them on the moneyline.
Oddsmakers have priced them at -180 to win today, which according to implied probability is about a 65% chance of winning. There doesn’t seem to be much value on the Astros.
Instead I’m targeting the total in this matchup. Postseason baseball is about pitching and today I expect the Astros championship experience to shine through.
The total is sitting at 7.5 runs and I’m expecting a much lower scoring game than this. This game feels like a 4-2 win for the Astros.
Under 7.5 Runs at -115 odds is the best bet in this one.
Can the Padres take a series lead against the visiting Braves?
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
