Detroit Tigers announce 26-man roster ahead of AL Wild Card series
(CBS DETROIT) - Ahead of Tuesday's opening game of the best-of-three American League Wild Card series, the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros announce their 26-man rosters.
The Tigers ended a 10-year playoff drought with an improbable run in August and September, clinching their first playoff bid since 2014 and 17th overall with a win over the Chicago White Sox last Friday.
First pitch for Tuesday's series opener is set for 2:32 p.m. ET. The series marks Tigers manager A.J. Hinch's return to Houston. Hinch managed the Astros from 2015-2019, leading them to a 2017 World Series championship.
Detroit Tigers AL Wild Card roster
Pitchers: Beau Brieske, Jason Foley, Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Tyler Holton, Brant Hurter, Jackson Jobe, Ty Madden, Casey Mize, Reese Olson, Tarik Skubal and Will Vest.
Position Players: Kerry Carpenter, Dillon Dingler, Riley Greene, Andy Ibáñez, Jace Jung, Colt Keith, Justyn-Henry Malloy, Zach McKinstry, Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez, Jake Rogers, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson and Matt Vierling.
Houston Astros AL Wild Card roster
Pitchers: Bryan Abreu, Spencer Arrighetti, Ronel Blanco, Hunter Brown, Caleb Ferguson, Josh Hader, Yusei Kikuchi, Bryan King, Héctor Neris, Ryan Pressly and Framber Valdez.
Position Players: Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Victor Caratini, Zach Dezenzo, Yainer Diaz, Mauricio Dubón, Jason Heyward, Grae Kessinger, Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, Jeremy Peña, César Salazar, Jon Singleton and Kyle Tucker.
Who is Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal?
Tarik Skubal will get the start for the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. This is Skubal's first postseason game.
Drafted by the Tigers in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB draft, Skubal made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2020. Skubal won this year's AL pitching Triple Crown, leading the AL in wins, strikeouts and ERA. The Tigers' ace recorded 18 wins, 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA during the season and is a Cy Young favorite.
Skubal is a native of Hayward, Calif., and attended Seattle University. He was originally selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 2017 MLB Draft but elected to stay in school.
Former Tiger Justin Verlander left off Astros roster
Former Detroit Tiger and three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander was left off Houston's 26-man roster and is instead listed on its tax squad.
The 41-year-old, who is a future hall-of-famer, has struggled this season since coming back from injury, posting a 5.48 ERA and a 5-6 record in 17 appearances this year.
When is the Tigers vs. Astros game?
First pitch for Tuesday's series opener is set for 2:32 p.m. ET. Game 2 is Wednesday at 2:32 p.m. ET, and Game 3, if necessary, is Thursday at 2:32 p.m. ET.
Are the Tigers or Astros predicted to win Game 1?
FanDuel Sportsbook has set the line at Tigers +120, Astros -142. The over/under is 6.5 runs.