How MLB got served rude awakening on Astros staying power

PLEASANT REMINDER

The Houston Astros have been on a roll, beating some of the best teams in baseball over the last three series. And Hunter Brown as been a big reason for their success this season.

Brown is off to a fast start in 2023 and has a chance to bring home the Rookie of the Year hardware if he can continue on this pace.

With Brown in mind, we discuss how the rotation could look upon Lance McCullers' return, and we also hit on how the Astros would set their playoff rotation if the postseason started today.

Be sure to check out the video above as we break it all down.

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Listen to The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein weekday mornings on ESPN 97.5 and 92.5.

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Hunter Brown will start Game 2 for Houston. Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images.

Detroit Tigers (86-76) at Houston Astros (88-73)

  • Location: Houston, Minute Maid Park
  • Date: Wednesday, 2:32 p.m. EDT

Pitching Matchup:

  • Tigers: Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 77 strikeouts)
  • Astros: Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 179 strikeouts)

The Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros face off in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series, with Detroit leading 1-0 in the best-of-three set. The Tigers can advance to the ALDS with another win, while the Astros will be fighting to extend their postseason run.

Astros Outlook:
Houston, the reigning AL West champions, look to bounce back after dropping the series opener. The Astros have been strong at Minute Maid Park this season, posting a 46-35 home record. They’ve also excelled at keeping opponents in check, with a 38-16 record in games where they haven’t allowed a home run. Yordan Alvarez remains a key figure in the Astros’ lineup, leading the team with 35 homers, while Kyle Tucker has been hot, hitting .400 with three homers over the last 10 games.

You can see the Astros lineup for Game 2 below.

Tigers Outlook:

Detroit has been road warriors, going 43-38 away from home, and their pitching staff has been stellar, ranking third in the AL with a 3.62 ERA. Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter have powered the Tigers’ offense, combining for 51 home runs on the season. If the Tigers’ bullpen holds strong again, they could advance to the next round.

Recent Form:

  • Astros: 6-4 over their last 10 games, hitting .278 as a team, but they have struggled with a 4.10 ERA.
  • Tigers: 7-3 in their last 10, backed by excellent pitching (3.30 ERA), though their offense has only managed a .229 average.

The Astros lead the season series 4-3, but the Tigers carry the momentum as they look to close out the series and move forward in the playoffs.

If you would like to see some reactions to Game 1, check out the videos below.



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