An intriguing MLB match-up is set to take place when the Houston Astros host Detroit Tigers this week in a huge three-game series to kick off the playoffs in the American League.
Houston come into this game with an 88-73 record which saw them claim the third seed in the AL after claiming the AL West division title, while the Tigers claimed the final Wild Card spot with an 86-76 record.
We’ll take a look at the match-up between the two teams and provide you with our best free MLB betting picks to try and earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the field.
| MLB Playoffs |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | -173 | -173 | -173 |
| Detroit Tigers | +153 | +153 | +153 |
Learn more about how to bet on the MLB postseason here.
Houston Astros v Detroit Tigers information
- Game 1: Tuesday, 1st October 2024 - 14:32 ET
- Game 2: Wednesday, 2nd October 2024 - 14:32 ET
- Game 3 (if necessary): Thursday, 3rd October 2024 - 14:32 ET
- Minute Maid Park, Houston, Texas
- Winner of the series will face Cleveland Guardians in the next round
Houston Astros season so far
The 2024 MLB season started horribly for the Houston Astros as they lost their first four games in a row and seven of their first nine,with their only victories coming against the Toronto Blue Jays. They claimed back-to-back wins over the Texas Rangers to halt that run, but then lost seven of their next nine again. Three defeats in succession to the Atlanta Braves hurt them, but they beat the Washington Nationals before five defeats in a row. They closed the month with three wins, ending with a record of 10-19.
May was better as they went 15-14 for the month, which included an excellent run of eight wins in nine games with six in a row against the likes of the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics and the Tigers. They failed to win back-to-back games for the rest of the month though as they went 5-8, including three consecutive losses to the Seattle Mariners.
Their form really picked up in the summer though, going 17-8 across June. They opened the month with five wins in their first seven before defeat to the Chicago White Sox would spurn a sensational seven-game winning streak that saw them beat Chicago, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies, before ending the month with two wins over the New York Mets.
July was strong too, as they won eight of their 13 games before the All-Star break. They returned after that with two wins over the Mariners, before a three-game win streak got sandwiched between two separate three-game losing streaks. Houston ended the month wth a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates to move to 56-52.
August started slowly with three defeats in their opening four games, but they bounced back with a season-best eight-game winning streak against the Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. A 5-7 run followed that however, before they ended the summer with a four-game winning run over the Kansas City Royals. The Astros then made hard work of sealing the divisional title as they lost six of their first nine in August, before a four-game winning run got them back on track.
They sealed the division with a win over the Mariners on September 24th, before ending the regular season with two straight wins over the Cleveland Guardians.
The matchup has been set!
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 30, 2024
🗓️: October 1st, 2nd and *3rd (if necessary)
⚾️: 1:32pm CST
🏟️: @MinuteMaidPark
🎟️: https://t.co/qeWI2w4RkL pic.twitter.com/w5Ic7cIrpe
Detroit Tigers season so far
Detroit started the season in perfect fashion as they won each of their opening five games with three wins over the Chicago White Sox and two wins over the New York Mets. However that was followed that up with four losses in their next five games, and then six defeats in the following 11 games beyond that. They ended April with a run of six wins in nine as they racked up a 17-13 record.
May was horrendous for Detroit, as they suffered six losses in their opening eight games of the month, which then followed up with a run of five defeats in a row including three consecutive losses to the Kansas City Royals. They ended the month with five wins from seven to get some momentum back and end with their overall record at 28-29.
June was even worse for the Tigers as they registered a 10-17 record for the month. Despite winning three of their first four games, they lost ten of their next 13 in a horrific run of form and ended the month with a four-game losing streak.
They got back into their groove in July with a 14-11 record, which included a fantastic run of 11 wins in 14 games at one point. A lot of that good work was undone towards the end of the month however as they then lost six of their final eight games.
So far in August they have gone 14-9 and have rediscovered their winning touch recently. Despite losing six of their opening nine games of the month, the Tigers won 14 of their next 19 including a huge six-game winning streak to keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the final month of the season. They then had their best month of the campaign, going 17-8. That included two four-game winning runs and a six-game winning run where they clinched their playoff spot with two games to spare.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
MLB Picks: Houston Astros to win series @ -173
Since April 27, no American League team has a better record than the Astros.
Jose Altuve will start his 104th career playoff game Tuesday, while Alex Bregman will start his 98th and Jeremy Peña will be watching on with 103 playoff appearances in his career. There is buckets of experience in this team.
Yordan Alvarez has a sprained right knee which may see him miss the series, but they should still have more than enough to get the win here. They lead the head-to-head between the teams during the season 4-2 and come into this well rested and in great form. Take the Astros to dominate the series and progress to face Cleveland.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
