HOUSTON -- Tarik Skubal twirled six shutout innings as the bottom of the order sparked an early rally that carried the Detroit Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series on Tuesday. Detroit took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series set to resume on Wednesday. It marked the Tigers' first postseason win since Game 4 of the 2013 AL Championship Series against Boston.
Skubal (1-0), the presumptive favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award, pitched to that pedigree. He allowed four singles and issued one walk while recording six strikeouts. Skubal retired the Astros in order in the first, second and fifth innings and was especially effective with traffic on the bases, limiting Houston to 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position while stranding five.
With runners on first and second and two outs in the third, Skubal induced a flyout from Kyle Tucker to snuff that threat. Skubal struck out Jeremy Pena and Victor Caratini with runners on first and second to end the fourth, and notched a strikeout of Yainer Diaz following a two-out single from Alex Bregman to cap the sixth. Skubal threw 88 pitches, 64 for strikes.
The Astros countered with left-hander Framber Valdez, whose second-inning woes proved punitive. The Tigers mounted a two-out rally on the heels of Wenceel Perez and Spencer Torkelson reaching via a single and a walk with one out. Torkelson rallied from an 0-2 hole to reach base, and the Tigers extended the inning when Park.