The Astros are set to take on the Detroit Tigers for their first matchup in the postseason.
Last Tuesday, the Astros took down the Seattle Mariners in a 4-3 victory at Minute Maid Park to clinch their fourth consecutive AL West crown. Houston enters the 2024 postseason as the AL's No. 3 seed.
The AL Wild Card Series is a best-of-three format. Since the Astros finished with a higher seed than Detroit, Houston will have home-field advantage for all three games.
2024 AL Wild Card schedule:
Game 1: - Tuesday, Oct. 1: Detroit at Houston, ABC13, 1:32 p.m.
Game 2: - Wednesday, Oct. 2: Detroit at Houston, ABC13, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): - Thursday, Oct. 3: Detroit at Houston, ABC13, 1:30 p.m.
All times are Central Time.
In the regular season, Astros were 4-2 against the Tigers.
Who can potentially be the Astros' starting pitchers for the AL Wild Card Series?
Houston is more likely to roll with Framber Valdez (Game 1), Hunter Brown (Game 2), and Yusei Kikuchi (Game 3) as the potential starters for the series. Astros manager Joe Espada will also rely heavily on his bullpen depth with the likes of Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu, Josh Hader, and Ryan Pressly. In the course of the 2024 regular season, the 'Stros lost a handful of pitchers due to injury, such as Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Lance McCullers Jr., and Luis Garcia.
Yordan Alvarez' status for postseason?
Yordan Alvarez' status for the series against the Tigers is up in the air. The 27-year-old All-Star slugger from Cuba has been sidelined with a right knee injury since he sustained it in Houston's 9-8 loss against the Los Angeles Angels at MMP on Sept. 22. As of Sunday evening, Alvarez is expected to participate in some hitting work with the 'Stros on Monday.
Will JV be involved in the Astros' postseason rotation?
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander started on Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Saturday's start for JV marked his final regular season start with the Astros. The 41-year-old veteran has plenty of postseason experience with his incredible résumé including two World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards, an American League MVP, and more. Nonetheless, the Astros face a huge decision on whether to plug the future Hall of Famer into their pitching rotation in October.
Joe Espada vs. A.J. Hinch
From teammates to foes, it will be the first postseason meeting between first-year Astros manager Joe Espada and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. Both Espada and Hinch were drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1996, and colleagues with the Astros.
Espada was promoted as the Astros manager after Dusty Baker's retirement and spent six years as the team's bench coach under both Baker and Hinch.
During Hinch's stint in Houston, he led the 'Stros from 2015 to 2019 to five straight postseason appearances, and won the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2020, Hinch was fired for his role in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 and 2018 seasons and was suspended for the 2020 season.
On Oct. 30, 2020, Hinch was named the Detroit Tigers' next manager.
Ticket prices for the AL Wild Card games?
The Astros' official partner, SeatGeek, currently shows tickets as low as $21 for Game 1.
Expect those rates to fluctuate based on demand, particularly if the 'Stros win or lose the AL Wild Card opener.
Eyewitness Sports is ready to bring you the celebration for the launch of Houston's path to a third World Series championship. Watch ABC13 throughout the fall to follow the 'Stros.