The Astros and Tigers will play the final game of their three-game series after Detroit won the first two.
The two division leaders are playoff bound barring any drastic changes in the standings. Nonetheless, these games are still important with official seeding not set.
Houston is a -132 favorite, while Detroit is +108 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at over/under 8.5 runs.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Wednesday’s Astros vs. Tigers matchup.
Astros vs. Tigers prediction
The Astros’ offense is dormant. It’s scored zero runs in the past three games, including both games against the Tigers. Dating back five games, the team has scored runs in just one matchup — a 5-4 extra innings win against the Orioles.
It’s possible this streak continues on Wednesday as Charlie Morton is pitching for Detroit. While Morton has a 5.20 ERA this season, most of his struggles came when he was with Baltimore. He’s started three games with the Astros, pitching to a 3.86 ERA.
The 41-year-old has two great outings of six innings apiece with the Astros. He allowed two hits and zero earned runs while striking out five against the Twins in his most recent start. His first outing with Houston was four hits, one earned run and six strikeouts against the Phillies.
Morton’s second start was a poor outing. He pitched just 4.1 innings, allowing six earned runs and seven hits. He did, however, strike out 10 against the Angels. What version of Morton shows up tomorrow will play a major role in the outcome.
Framber Valdez will start for Houston. He’s been one of the most consistent starters this decade, but he’s struggled in his past three outings. He’s allowed three, four and five earned runs in August, increasing his ERA from 2.62 to 3.01.
The Tigers are fierce, so it could be another tough outing for Valdez on Wednesday. Then again, that may not matter if the Astros can’t score any runs anyway. A 10-0 loss is the same as a 1-0 loss in the standings.
Astros vs. Tigers pick, best bet
The Astros are not giving me any confidence for this game. Yes, the team should bounce back, but I’m not expecting it to happen on Wednesday.
The Tigers will win outright and get the sweep.