Tarik Skubal leads Tigers past Astros in AL wild-card opener - ESPN

HOUSTON — Tarik Skubal kept up his stellar season with a sensational playoff debut and the Detroit Tigers got to Framber Valdez early in a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros in their American League Wild Card Series opener Tuesday.

The Tigers, swept in the AL Division Series in their last trip to the playoffs in 2014, got their first postseason win since Game 4 the 2013 AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Down 3-0 entering the ninth, Houston scored on Yainer Diaz's RBI single and had the bases loaded when Jason Heyward hit a game-ending lineout against Beau Brieske.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Wednesday in Houston.

Skubal, the AL pitching Triple Crown winner, allowed just four singles and walked one in six innings. About the only hard hit by the Astros off him was one that hit him — the lefty was struck on his right wrist by Diaz's second-inning comebacker.

He became first pitching Triple Crown winner to win his first postseason start that same year since Sandy Koufax tossed a 15-strikeout complete game in a 5-2 win in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Yordan Alvarez, playing for the first time since spraining his right knee Sept. 22, doubled off Jason Foley to start the ninth inning. Pinch-runner Zach Dezenzo moved to third on Alex Bregman's infield single and Diaz singled on a grounder to right.

Jeremy Pena sacrificed, Brieske relieved and Victor Caratini flied out to short left. Chas McCormick and Brieske retired Heyward for the save.

The AL West champions were hurt by yet another playoff flop from Valdez, who went 0-3 in the postseason last year. Houston's ace ranked third in the AL with a 2.91 ERA in the regular season but permitted three runs and seven hits in just 4 1/3