Sources confirm the starting pitchers for the upcoming American League Wild Card series. Left-hander Framber Valdez has been named the Game 1 starter for the Houston Astros in the Wild Card series, as reported by Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers will turn to fellow southpaw Tarik Skubal, per MLB Network’s JP Morosi. Skubal is the likely AL Cy Young winner after going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts across 192 innings. After an inconsistent first half, Valdez posted a 1.96 ERA and 87 strikeouts over 78 innings in 12 second-half starts.
Valdez, Skubal, Named Game 1 Starters for Wild Card Series
Tuesday’s outing at Minute Maid Park will be Valdez’s 16th career postseason start. Valdez finished the season with a 15-7 record and a 2.91 ERA in 28 starts. He entered Sunday third among qualified AL starters in ERA, after Skubal and teammate Ronel Blanco. Astros manager Joe Espada did not announce the rest of the rotation for the best-of-three series. Hunter Brown and Yusei Kikuchi appear to be the two candidates for a Game 2 start. Both Brown and Kikuchi did not pitch in Houston’s final series of the season against the Cleveland Guardians.
Skubal clinched the AL pitching Triple Crown by pacing the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He led all AL pitchers with 18 wins, 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts, becoming the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown since Shane Bieber in the shortened 2020 season. Skubal is the first pitcher to earn the Triple Crown in a full season since Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He will become the first Tigers pitcher to start a postseason game since David Price in Game 3 of the 2014 ALDS.
Who Has the Advantage?
By ERA, the Tigers rotation was a top-five unit this season, tying the Cleveland Guardians with a collective 3.61 ERA. Only the Atlanta Braves (3.51 ERA) and Seattle Mariners (3.49 ERA) were ahead. Maybe they will use Reese Olson, but he hasn’t thrown more than four innings since returning from injury. However, the Astros can follow Valdez with Brown, Kikuchi or even someone else. They can use Blanco or Spencer Arrighetti if they want to. There’s no such thing as a five-man rotation or even four in this series. It’s all hands on deck here.
Advantage: Astros
Main Photo: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
