3 Houston Astros to blame for Wild Card Game 1 loss to Tigers

The Detroit Tigers began their improbable, albeit impressive, postseason run by defeating the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the Wild Card round. The 3-1 road victory puts them one win away from a trip to the American League Division Series.

Detroit scored all three of their runs in the second inning. Jake Rogers, Trey Sweeney and Matt Vierling hit a trio of consecutive RBI singles. Ultimately, that was enough for the Tigers to prevail, thanks to presumed AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and the bullpen.

Skubal threw six scoreless innings in Game 1, allowing only four hits and striking out six batters. He questionably exited the contest after 88 pitches. However, it's worth noting the southpaw ace got two visits from the trainer after taking a line drive to his right wrist/hand. Regardless, Houston failed to capitalize, considering Detroit's relievers finished the job rather easily.

This result is shocking, considering Detroit boasts the youngest roster in the MLB, and Houston is littered with veterans and World Series experience. That said, multiple Astros players let their club down at a crucial time. But among all, these three poor performances stick out -- in a bad way.

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3. Jeremy Pena, SS

Jeremy Pena struck out three times (twice swinging and once looking) before laying down a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth. His late-game efforts advanced the tying runs into scoring position. Nonetheless, the shortstop wouldn't need to give himself up if he wasn't such a liability at the plate.

Pena made history in 2022 by becoming the first rookie position player to win World Series MVP, highlighting his playoff pedigree. Yet, the infielder failed to get much of anything going in Game 1 versus Detroit. He'll have to be much better from the batter's box in Game 2 (and Game 3 if it happens) for the Stros to avoid elimination.

2. Kyle Tucker, RF

A three-time All-Star, Houston can typically count on Kyle Tucker's offensive production. Alas, that was far from the case in Game 1.

Tucker went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's loss to the Tigers. He struggled mightily from the plate, which ostensibly hurt his base running and fielding. The outfielder's effort in the latter two departments seemed to dip during clutch moments because of the mentioned batting woes.

Shortly before the game, the Astros changed their lineup, moving Tucker from third to second in the batting order. Perhaps the sudden switch on short notice disrupted the 27-year-old? Other than that, it's hard to see anything other than his postseason demons being the issue.

1. Framber Valdez, SP

It wasn't necessarily a bad day at the office for Astros starter Framber Valdez. He allowed three earned runs and seven hits while striking out three batters through 4.1 innings of work. But when facing a hurler like Skubal, that won't cut it.

Pitching is usually magnified and often is the deciding factor in October baseball. A shorter staff of twirlers means fewer arms to turn to if things go south, which mounts additional pressure on whoever's on the mound. Valdez's less-than-stellar outing prompted the Astros to empty their bullpen, putting Houston at a disadvantage in Game 2.

The Astros blew through five relievers after Valdez got yanked. With only 11 pitchers on the AL Wild Card roster, Houston may have to recycle arms on short rest because of the left-hander's misfortunes.