Detroit 5, Houston 2: How Astros were swept in wild-card series

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) reacts after Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson reached first on an error by second baseman Jose Altuve in the second inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Karen Warren/Staff photographerHouston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) reacts after striking out Detroit Tigers Matt Vierling to end the top of the first in the Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Karen Warren/Staff photographerDetroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) avoids the tag by Houston Astros first baseman Victor Caratini (17) to reach first on an error by second baseman Jose Altuve in the second inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerDetroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) beats Houston Astros Jose Altuve (27) after his ground ball was fielded by third baseman Zach McKinstry in the first inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerHouston Astros Jason Heyward (22) strikes out against Detroit Tigers pitcher Brenan Hanifee to end the second inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerHouston Astros center fielder Chas McCormick (20) fields a single by Detroit Tigers Zach McKinstry in the second inning during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Houston.Brett Coomer/Staff photographer

The Houston Astros were eliminated in the wild-card round on Wednesday by Detroit. How the game played out from our staff at Minute Maid:

Detroit 5, Houston 2

The Detroit Tigers forged a four-run eighth inning against relievers Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader to hand the Astros a 5-2 loss in Game 2 of the wild-card round and end their season Wednesday. Detroit swept the best-of-three series at Minute Maid Park to advance to the ALDS and usher in the Astros' offseason.

It could be the end of an era in Houston baseball after the Astros had reached seven consecutive ALCS. Coverage highlights:

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• A high-priced bullpen falters and a season ends.
• Five key moments in Houston's loss.

Astros down 1-2-3 in 8th

Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz all rounded out in the eighth. — Reid Laymance

Hard ball

The Tigers are responsible for three of the four hardest-hit balls of the game, and all occurred on hits in the eighth inning. — Danielle Lerner

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Matt Vierling single (vs Ryan Pressly) 107.4 mph
Kerry Carpenter single (Pressly) 105.9 mph
Andy Ibanez 3-RBI double (vs Josh Hader) 105.1 mph

Detroit back on top

Needing six outs, the Astros handed a one-run lead to Ryan Pressly, one of MLB's most accomplished postseason relievers, who allowed two singles and a run-scoring wild pitch. Josh Hader, one of the game's highest-paid closer, then surrendered a bases-clearing double to pinch-hitter Andy Ibanez. Detroit leads 5-2 after a collapse by the back end of the Astros bullpen. — Matt Kawahara

Ryan Pressly can't hold lead

A Ryan Pressly slider in the dirt bounced off the lip of home plate, careening into the air and high off the netting of the backstop. The wild pitch allowed Kerry Carpenter to easily jog home and tie the game at 2-2.

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Pressly's mistake causes the first run against him in a postseason outing since Game 2 of the 2022 World Series. He exited the game after walking Colt Keith, leaving runners on first and second for Josh Hader. — Sam Warren

Ryan Pressly takes over

Ryan Pressly is in to pitch for the Astros with a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning. — Greg Rajan

Chaos indeed

A.J. Hinch's "pitching chaos" might have gone too far for the Tigers' liking. The Astros have taken the lead after scoring two runs with Jackson Jobe, the rookie reliever, on the mound. Victor Caratini scored on a Tigers throwing error, and then Jeremy Pena slid home on a sacrifice fly by Jose Altuve. — Danielle Lerner

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Astros take lead

Jose Altuve fouls out to shallow right with the bases loaded and no outs, but Jeremy Pena's bold dash from third and head-first slide beat the throw from Matt Vierling to put the Astros ahead 2-1. Sean Guenther is in to pitch for Detroit with runners on first and third and one out. Kyle Tucker is up. — Greg Rajan

Astros tie it

Jon Singleton's fielder's choice to first base scores Victor Caratini with the tying run as Tigers catcher Jake Rogers can't hold onto the throw. The bases are still loaded with no outs, with Jake Meyers running at first for Singleton. — Greg Rajan

Astros have action

A hit batter, single and bunt single have the bases loaded in the seventh inning for the Astros trailing 1-0. Jon Singleton is pinch hitting for Chas McCormick against Jackson Jobe, — Greg Rajan

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Top prospect takes over

Right-hander Jackson Jobe, the No. 1 pitching prospect in all of baseball, is in to pitch for the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh. Jobe made his MLB debut last Wednesday and is scoreless across four innings of relief in two games. The 22-year-old was born in Irving before growing up in Oklahoma and getting selected third overall by the Tigers in 2021. — Sam Warren

Ovation for Brown

Hunter Brown received a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball, the lone run coming on Parker Meadows' solo homer. According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, Brown's nine strikeouts are the second-most by an Astros pitcher in his first career postseason start, behind Mike Scott's 14 in Game 1 of the 1986 NLCS. — Danielle Lerner

Hunter Brown out

After a two-out walk in the sixth inning, Hunter Brown has been lifted for Bryan Abreu. Brown's only blemish today was the solo homer Parker Meadows doinked off the right-field foul pole. He gave up two hits and struck out nine. — Greg Rajan

Tigers strike first

Joe Espada sends Hunter Brown out for a third time through the lineup. Parker Meadows then greets him by pulling a home run off the right-field foul pole. The same foul pole that Howie Kendrick hit with his infamous go-ahead homer off Will Harris in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series. — Greg Rajan

Another threat squelched

The Astros were gifted an opportunity to break the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fifth but could not capitalize. Joe Espada's decision to pinch hit Mauricio Dubon for Jason Heyward paid off when Dubon led off with a single through the left side. Chas McCormick grounded a would-be double-play ball to the shortstop, but after making the force out at second, Tigers second baseman Colt Keith dropped the ball and McCormick arrived safely at first base to bring up the top of the order.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch went to his bullpen to bring out Beau Brieske, the righthander who stifled the Astros' ninth-inning rally last night. Jose Altuve flied out on the first pitch he saw, and Kyle Tucker was called out on strikes. — Danielle Lerner

Tigers make another pitching change

Beau Brieske, who closed out Monday's win for the Tigers, is coming in to face Jose Altuve with a runner on first and one out in the fifth inning of a 0-0 game. — Greg Rajan

Brown delivers again

With two outs in the fifth, Hunter Brown issued a two-out walk and Trey Sweeney stole second. Brown then escaped trouble by striking out Jake Rogers. It's still 0-0 with the Astros coming to bat. — Greg Rajan

Astros' threat fizzles

The Astros put two runners on with one out in the fourth inning, but Jeremy Pena grounded into a double play to end the threat. Game 2 heads to the fifth inning at 0-0. — Greg Rajan

Bregman gives it a ride

Alex Bregman looks locked in at the plate. Bregman took the Astros' best at-bats yesterday against Tarik Skubal. He lined a first-pitch single in his first at-bat today. He led off the fourth with an eight-pitch at-bat against left-hander Brant Hurter that ended in a 401-foot flyout to center field. — Matt Kawahara

Hunter Brown in a groove

Hunter Brown is dealing. He has struck out six and allowed one hit through four innings. Tigers hitters have whiffed on 10 of 31 swings against him. Seven batted balls in play against him have averaged an 85.7 mph exit velocity. He is at 64 pitches after four in a still-scoreless game. — Matt Kawahara

Nice grab

Chas McCormick with a nice running catch in the alley in left-center field on Riley Green's drive, probably the best-hit ball of the day for the Tigers. There are now two outs in the fourth inning. — Greg Rajan

Another Tigers pitching change

Left-hander Brant Hurter is coming in to pitch for the Tigers with two outs in the third inning and lefty Kyle Tucker coming up. — Greg Rajan

Hunter Brown matches playoff best

In his first career postseason start, Hunter Brown has faced 11 batters and struck out five through three scoreless, one-hit innings. He's already matched his longest playoff outing, which came in 2023 when he threw three shutout innings in relief during the Astros' ALCS Game 4 win over the Rangers. — Danielle Lerner

Hunter Brown racking up K's

Hunter Brown now has five strikeouts in three innings after punching out two more Tigers in the third. The score is still 0-0 in Game 2. — Greg Rajan

Astros' first threat comes, goes

The Astros put two runners on in the second inning, and Jason Heyward batted Brenan Hanifee, with a pair of hard-hit balls pulled foul just outside the right-field line. Heyward then struck out on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to end the inning. Hanifee had to throw 26 pitches in the inning. — Greg Rajan

Bregman watch

In what could be his final game as an Astro, Alex Bregman singled on the first pitch he saw to give Houston its first baserunner of Game 2.

Bregman is an impending free agent likely to command a larger contract than owner Jim Crane has ever given out. General manager Dana Brown has maintained this season that the Astros will make an offer to Bregman, but his future heading into the offseason is uncertain. — Sam Warren

One and done for Detroit

Right-hander Brenan Hanifee is now in to pitch for the Tigers in the second inning after Tyler Holton worked a perfect first. — Greg Rajan

Hunter Brown throwing gas

In the regular season, Hunter Brown threw 61 pitches with velocities of 98 mph or higher, topping out at 99.5 mph. Through two innings today, he's exceeded 98 mph nine times, including a strike three fastball to Matt Vierling in the first inning. — Danielle Lerner

Brown gets out of jam

Jose Altuve's throwing error on a routine ground ball, which should have ended Hunter Brown's second inning, instead put the Astros starter in his first pressure situation of the day. Zach McKinstry followed with a double. Brown retired Trey Sweeney on a groundout to strand the runners but expended seven extra pitches after Altuve's error. — Matt Kawahara

Error opens door

The Astros allow the first baserunner of the day via a Jose Altuve throwing error on a ground ball to second base. Altuve's throw was offline to first with Spencer Torkelson charging down the line, but seemingly close enough for Victor Caratini to stay on the bag. Instead, the first baseman voluntary popped off and tried to tag Torkelson, whiffing at the runner and extending the inning with two outs.

The error was followed by a Zack McKinstry double. The Tigers have runners on second and third in the second inning against Hunter Brown in the second inning. — Sam Warren

'Chaos' in action

A.J. Hinch promised "pitching chaos" in Game 2. The Tigers had a right-hander, Brenan Hanifee, warming in their bullpen before opener Tyler Holton threw his first pitch. — Matt Kawahara

Sinker situation

Much has been made of Brown's sinker and its role in his turnaround this season, but its role today may be minimal. The Tigers have six left-handed hitters in their lineup. Brown barely threw his sinker against lefties this season and relied more on his four-seamer and cutter against them. He did throw one sinker to Kerry Carpenter in the first inning but induced flyouts from left-handed Parker Meadow and Carpenter on cutters. — Matt Kawahara

Solid opening for Brown

Hunter Brown gets Game 2 off to a good start, retiring the Tigers in order in the first inning. — Greg Rajan

Accolade for Sugar Land's Mickey Storey

Mickey Storey, who led the Astros' affiliate in Sugar Land to the national Triple-A championship, was named the Pacific Coast League's manager of the year Wednesday. Read more about the honor here. — Danielle Lerner

Business as usual for Kikuchi

Yusei Kikuchi, the potential Game 3 starter for the Astros, is going through an approximation of his usual pre-start warmup in center field about 10 minutes before first pitch. Kikuchi said this morning he intended to "give myself enough time to prepare and be ready to come in today" in case the Astros opt to use him in relief. — Matt Kawahara

Trying to buck history

The Astros will be attempting to defy precedent today. MLB introduced a best-of-three wild-card round in 2022. In its first two years, no team that lost Game 1 rallied to win the series. Only one of those eight teams forced Game 3.

Houston is 8-5 in playoff games when facing elimination since the start of 2017. It has not been swept in a playoff series during that span. — Matt Kawahara

Astros when facing elimination

During this current era that began in 2015, the Astros have generally fared well when facing elimination, with a 9-6 record. However, it's been three years since Houston won when facing elimination. That was in Game 5 of the 2021 World Series at Atlanta. The Astros have lost their past two times facing elimination, Game 6 against the Braves in 2021 and last year's ALCS Game 7. Both games were at Minute Maid Park. — Greg Rajan

What time would a Game 3 start?

If the Astros are able to force a third-and-deciding game against the Tigers, Game 3 is tentatively scheduled for 1:32 p.m. Thursday at Minute Maid Park. However, that could change with two other possible start times. They would start at 2:08 p.m. if two other wild-card series end Wednesday, leaving just two games to be played Thursday. The game would be pushed back to 6:08 p.m. if Astros-Tigers is the only game of the day.

Depending on what goes on in the three other wild-card series, the start time for a potential Astros-Tigers Game 3 could be switched to 2:08 p.m. or 6:08 p.m. — Matt Young

Brown vs. lefties

Arguably the key change to the Tigers' lineup for Game 2 is the inclusion of Kerry Carpenter. Carpenter was limited to 87 games during the season by a back injury but posted a 159 OPS-plus that was highest among Detroit hitters. A left-handed hitter, Carpenter had severe reverse splits — a .994 OPS against right-handed pitching and a .408 OPS against righties — which explains why he was not in the lineup for Game 1 against left-hander Framber Valdez.Detroit will start six left-handed hitters against Hunter Brown in Game 2. It will make for an interesting matchup as Brown, the Astros right-hander, was tougher on left-handed hitters (.623 OPS) than right-handed hitters (.716 OPS) this season. As a team, the Tigers fared slightly better against righties (.693 OPS) than lefties (.659). Manager A.J. Hinch will still have three right-handed hitters, one left-handed hitter and one switch-hitter on his bench."At the end of the day, you've just got to make pitches and execute and keep them from taking our pitchers into deep counts," Espada said. "I thought they did a nice job (in Game 1) of working he counts and making our guys work." — Matt Kawahara

Victor Caratini's role

With the Tigers planning to throw a bullpen game — or unleash "pitching chaos," as manager A.J. Hinch said before the series — first baseman Victor Caratini could be a key piece to the Astros' lineup in Game 2. As a switch-hitter, Caratini can neutralize platoon matchups. He slots sixth in the lineup, after the top five that is essentially set regardless of the opposing starter.

Detroit will start left-hander Tyler Holten, with right-hander Reese Olson as a potential bulk innings guy, but can pivot in any direction and has several left-handers in its bullpen. Caratini fared well against left-handed pitching in the regular season — an .812 OPS in 64 plate appearances — but hit seven of his eight home runs against right-handers.

"He's the one that you can kind of put in the middle there and break things up if they try to match some of their lefties against our lefties at the top of our order," Espada said. — Matt Kawahara

Brieske's energy dump

Tigers' reliever Beau Brieske entered Game 1 with the potential tying runs in scoring position with one out in the ninth and escaped unscathed to secure the save. The 26-year-old pitching in his first postseason said he had a tough time coming down from that emotional high.

"Yeah, it was just a different level of me being wired. I couldn't really get my thoughts in order. I was just still kind of beamed up," Brieske said. "That lasted until I got to the hotel, and then the adrenaline kind of quickly dumped, and I was ready to go lay in bed and pass out. I got a good night's sleep, that's for sure. And now we're back, and we're ready. Ready to go again." — Matt Young

Tigers make lineup changes

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch mixes and matches his lineup a lot, and it's no different for Game 2. With righthander Hunter Brown on the mound for the Astros, Kerry Carpenter is in at designated hitter instead of Justyn-Henry Malloy, who started against lefty Framber Valdez in Game 1. Parker Meadows flipped from hitting seventh Tuesday to leading off Wednesday. Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry also get their first starts of the series at second and third base, respectively. — Matt Young

Parker Meadows CF
Kerry Carpenter DH
Matt Vierling RF
Riley Greene LF
Colt Keith 2B
Spencer Torkelson 1B
Zach McKinstry 3B
Trey Sweeney SS
Jake Rogers C

Compliments for Tucker, Alvarez

A.J. Hinch praised the Astros' duo of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez hitting second and third in the lineup.

"They're as good a duo as any. I know (Yankee's Aaron) Judge and (Juan) Soto, you know, there are others around the league, but it ranks right up there mainly because they're dangerous against lefties and righties. I mean, there's not one way for them to attack them," the Tigers manager said. "You've got to give them as many different looks as you can. You've got to hope for the best some days when they're hot. They both have hit tools and power and decent discipline. So I don't like it at all from this side." — Matt Young

Josh Hader available for multiple innings

The Astros used closer Josh Hader in the ninth inning of Game 1, despite trailing 3-0. Joe Espada said Wednesday morning that won't prevent him from being used multiple innings if necessary in an elimination game.

"It's a multi-inning game for a lot of guys today," the Astros manager said. — Matt Young

Joe Espada's faith in Hunter Brown

The Astros' had two clear choices for a Game 2 starter with Hunter Brown and Yusei Kikuchi. On Wednesday morning, Astros manager Joe Espada said he didn't hesitate in picking Brown.

"He has pitched his way into one of our most reliable pitchers," Espada said. "He's done it all year. He's been one of the best pitchers in the second half of the season in all major leagues, and I trust him. This team trusts him. He has pitched big games for us when we have been in a position to win." — Matt Young

Chas McCormick in lineup

The Astros' lineup for Game 2:
2B Altuve
RF Tucker
DH Alvarez
3B Bregman
C Diaz
1B Caratini
SS Pena
LF Heyward
CF McCormick
P Brown

Yordan Alvarez was unsure if he could play

Yordan Alvarez said he did not think for three days after he sustained a right knee sprain that he would be able to play in the wild-card series, but that he responded OK to playing in Game 1 and is in the Astros lineup for Game 2. Alvarez, through an interpreter, declined to put a percentage on how his knee is feeling, saying: "I think the adrenaline is what's keeping me going right now." — Matt Kawahara

Yusei Kikuchi available

Yusei Kikuchi is lined up to start Game 3 for the Astros, if they can win today to force it, but said he will be ready to pitch in Game 2 in relief if needed. Houston will have all hands on deck pitching-wise, with the potential exception of Ronel Blanco, who threw two relief innings in the Game 1 loss. "We've got no choice but win the next two games. So regardless of whether I'm relieving or starting, I just want to make sure I give my all," Kikuchi said before Game 2. — Matt Kawahara

What's with the ad on the helmets?

For the playoffs, the Astros and every other team have a Strauss ad on their batting helmets. The ads, which are on both sides of the helmets, are five inches wide and almost an inch tall with white lettering and the company's red logo. Major League Baseball struck a deal with the German apparel company in September, allowing Strauss to put its branding on the helmets every postseason through 2027. — Matt Young

Cheap tickets available

If you're able to get out of work, there are plenty of cheap tickets for Game 2 available on StubHub. As of Wednesday morning, there were tickets as cheap as $7 with about a dozen listings for as cheap as $10. Of course, with fees, you might end up paying double that price, but it's still quite a deal for postseason baseball. — Matt Young

Game 1: Tigers 3, Astros 1

• No panic for these Astros after season they had
• Hunter Brown gets the call to save season.
• Astros can't break through but look to Thursday
• The ninth inning: Astros' rally falls short
• Tarik Skubal's change of pace stymies Astros
• Five key moments
• A rough second inning does in Framber Valdez