The Tigers and Astros are set to begin their AL wild card series this afternoon from Houston kicking off the MLB Postseason.
Both teams too finally released their Wild Card round rosters with a couple of surprises from both teams.
For the Tigers, AJ Hinch left off Kenta Maeda, one of the big offseason acquisitions for Detroit after the right-hander struggled with a 6.09 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, while getting demoted to the pen. Ultimately this wasn’t a surprise, however, the absence of Keider Montero is somewhat when you consider the contributions he’s had in the starting rotation especially the second half of the season. Montero though being left off is understandable given the short series and the fact that he pitched Sunday in the regular season finale against the White Sox.
One last notable too, Jackson Jobe did make the roster for the Tigers despite his late call-up.
For the Astros, perhaps the biggest notable is Justin Verlander being left off meaning the veteran won’t get the opportunity to face his former team. Again, the move to leave JV off though is understandable when you consider his 5.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.