Houston Astros vs Detroit Tigers Prediction: A competitive opener is expected

The American League wild card action will begin with the Houston Astros taking on the Detroit Tigers at Minute Maid Park. Heading into this game, the two teams finished 4th and 6th respectively in the standings. How will they approach this game?

Houston Astros will come into this wild card following a series against the Cleveland Guardians, which they won. In what was a two-game quick series, the Houston Astros secured 2-5 and 3-4 wins in the two games. However, the prior series to that win saw the Houston Astros lose to the Seattle Mariners but secured a win against the Los Angeles Angels. Heading into this game, the home team has a 6-3 record in their last nine matches. 

The Detroit Tigers' last series before this wild card was against the Chicago White Sox, and they lost. In a quick two-game series, this team failed to score in the opener and lost game 2 by a score of 5-9. In the meantime, their prior series to that defeat saw the Detroit Tigers pull off consecutive wins, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals. 

I will bet on runs in this game one, looking at how competitive and strong the two teams were in the regular season. While the Houston Astros come in as slight favorites in this game, the Detroit Tigers were solid all season and can not be written off in this fixture. This will be a close contest, with the two teams expected to be decent, but the Tigers should be able to get within the line in this encounter.