HOUSTON — Astros manager Joe Espada was pleased with Yordan Alvarez’s contributions in Houston’s 3-1 loss during Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday.
The Astros need all the help they can get as they attempt to level the best-of-three series Wednesday afternoon.
Alvarez finished 2-for-4 in his first action since spraining his right knee on Sept. 22. He was lifted for pinch runner Zach Dezenzo, who scored the Astros’ lone run in the ninth inning.
“He got two hits, a double and a single,” Espada said of Alvarez. “Moving around pretty good. The swings look like he got force behind them. He was able to rotate. He looked good getting out of the box. Got to second base there on the double, so that was really good to see.”
With Alvarez appearing healthy, the Astros will put their hopes behind right-hander Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49 ERA), who will start in a possible elimination game for Houston on Wednesday.
Espada said Brown was a “no-brainer” to get the starting assignment in Game 2. Brown experienced a remarkable in-season turnaround after his lone relief appearance of the year in Detroit on May 11, going 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA over his next nine starts. After a rough outing against the Minnesota Twins on July 6, Brown went 5-3 with a 2.32 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings over his final 13 starts.
“That was probably maybe a turning point for me at the time,” Brown said of his relief appearance vs. the Tigers, when he tossed five innings of one-run ball. “I was kind of struggling, and it was something that Joe and (Astros pitching coach) Josh (Miller) had talked to me about, coming out of the bullpen to maybe jump-start the season, maybe get me right.
“So, yeah, just so happened that was the timing of it.”
Brown is 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA in five career games (four starts) vs. Detroit. He will be starting a postseason game for the first time after recording no decisions and a 1.69 ERA over seven relief outings the past two Octobers.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch will use an opener in Game 2, giving left-hander Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 ERA) the starting assignment. Holton is coming off a strong September during which he went 2-1 with two saves and a 1.06 ERA. He has made three career appearances against Houston, all in relief, going 0-0 with a 6.35 ERA.
Hinch pledged chaos would be the buzzword for his staff after ace Tarik Skubal. Because Skubal delivered as expected, throwing six shutout innings in Game 1, the Tigers are well-positioned to lean into their pitching depth on Wednesday. Four relievers covered the final three innings in the series opener. Detroit appears to have multiple options to piecemeal its way through Game 2.
“I love it,” Skubal said of the approach. “Those guys have been doing it for the last month and a half. Just mixing and matching, coming in any situation, any scenario. Doesn’t matter. Straight from (Triple-A) Toledo right into leverage innings. Doesn’t matter who’s taking the ball. They come in and take pitches, and I think it makes A.J.’s job fun when we have guys in the bullpen able to do that.
“I think it makes the other team’s job really hard, too. There’s no rhythm, no flow, you mix up timing. Give guys different looks, and it’s to our advantage for sure.”
–MK Bower, Field Level Media