The third-seeded Houston Astros will look to stay alive and even their best-of-three series when they battle the sixth-seeded Detroit Tigers in American League Wild Card action on Wednesday afternoon. Detroit held on for a 3-1 win in Tuesday's series opener. The Tigers (86-76), who went 48-30 since July 1, are making their first postseason appearance since 2014, when they lost in three games in the American League Division Series to the Baltimore Orioles. The Astros (88-73), who won the AL West for the seventh time in the last eight years, including the last four, have reached the playoffs for the eighth consecutive time. Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 ERA) is expected to start for Detroit, while Houston is expected to start Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49 ERA). The Astros have made some changes in their outfield in Game 2, inserting right fielder Mauricio Dubon in left for Jason Heyward and Jake Meyers in center for Chas McCormick.
First pitch from Minute Maid Park in Houston is set for 2:30 p.m. ET. Houston is a -178 favorite on the money line (risk $178 to win $100) in the latest Tigers vs. Astros odds from SportsLine consensus, while the total number of runs Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 7.5. Before making any Astros vs. Tigers picks, be sure to see the MLB predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. Entering the 2024 MLB playoffs, it's on a 32-17 roll on top-rated run-line picks (+822) that dates back to last season. Anybody following has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Tigers vs. Astros and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Astros vs. Tigers:
- Tigers vs. Astros money line: Houston -178, Detroit +149
- Tigers vs. Astros over/under: 7.5 runs
- Tigers vs. Astros run line: Houston -1.5 (+123)
- DET: The Tigers have covered the run line in 49 of their last 75 games (+21.75 units)
- HOU: The Astros have hit the game total Under in 83 of their last 144 games (+19.85 units)
- Tigers vs. Astros picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Tigers vs. Astros streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why you should back the Astros
Despite battling a recent knee injury, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is off to a hot start in the 2024 MLB playoffs. He was 2-for-4 with a double in the Game 1 loss. He finished the regular season batting .308 with 34 doubles, two triples, 35 homers, 86 RBI and 88 runs scored. In 28 career games against the Tigers, Alvarez is batting .273 with five doubles, four homers and 22 RBI.
Catcher Yainer Diaz is also among Houston's top offensive threats. In the series opener, Diaz was 1-for-3 with an RBI and one walk. In 148 appearances this season, he hit .299 with 29 doubles, three triples, 16 homers, 84 RBI and 70 runs scored. He has hit Detroit pitching well in his career. In 10 games against the Tigers, he is hitting .281 with one double, one homer and five RBI. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back the Tigers
Left fielder Riley Greene has been among Detroit's top hitters this season. In 137 regular-season games, he hit .262 with 27 doubles, six triples, 24 homers and 74 RBI with 82 runs scored. He doubled in the series opener. Greene has feasted on Astros pitching in his career. In 15 games against Houston, he is hitting .321 with two doubles, one triple, three homers and 10 RBI.
Rookie second baseman Colt Keith is off to a fast start to his career. In 148 games this season, he batted .260 with 15 doubles, four triples, 13 homers and 61 RBI with 54 runs scored. He drew 36 walks and stole seven bases. In the Game 1 win, he was 0-for-1, but walked twice. See which team to pick here.
How to make Tigers vs. Astros picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the run total, projecting 8.1 combined runs. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the MLB model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Tigers vs. Astros, and which side has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that's on a 32-17 roll on top-rated MLB run-line picks, and find out.
