Where to watch Astros vs. Tigers: MLB Wild Card schedule, TV channel, live stream postseason baseball, time

The Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers battle it out in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park in Houston this week. The Tigers, behind star Tarik Skubal, won Game 1 on Tuesday and put Houston on the brink of elimination. The Astros, who have made the ALCS seven years in a row, need to win two straight games to keep their season alive. That starts with Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Astros are part of the postseason battle for the eighth consecutive year. The Tigers, meanwhile, are making the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Check out the full MLB playoff series. The Astros-Tigers Wild Card Series schedule is listed below:

Where can you watch Game 2?

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 2 | Time: 2:32 p.m. ET
Location: Minute Maid Park (Houston)
Channel: ABC | Electricity: Fubo (Try for free)
Likely throwers: RHP Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49 ERA) vs. LHP Tyler Holton (7-2, 2.19 ERA)
Opportunities: HOU-170 | DET +143 | O/U: 7.5

Game 1 was a clash of aces as AL Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal defeated Houston's Framber Valdez. In Game 2, the Tigers will turn to a starter, Tyler Holton, although that title conjures up an image that doesn't properly appreciate Holton's brilliance this year. Detroit manager AJ Hinch called his pitching plan “chaos.” Holton will try to provide some peace of mind. The Astros will counter Detroit native Hunter Brown in a crucial game. Brown's early return was so terrible that the Astros considered demoting him to Triple-A, but instead sent him to the bullpen to see if he could recover. He did this in the form of a sinker. In 23 starts between May 17 and September 23, Brown had a 2.48 ERA in 137 2/3 innings and allowed just 12 home runs.

Here's what you need to know about each team.

Tiger: The Tigers are in the playoffs for the first time in a decade, and it's been an improbable run. As recently as July 4th they were nine games under .500, and as recently as August 2nd they were 16 games out of first place in the AL Central. They weren't expected to compete this season, and in fact it looked that way for quite a while. Detroit posted a 47-50 score in the first half, and they acted like sellers until the trade deadline, especially with the deal that sent No. 2 starter Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers. However, in the second half, the Tigers posted a 39-26 record with a run differential of plus-47. This surge allowed them to overtake the Twins for the final playoff spot.

The Tigers subplot is manager AJ Hinch. Hinch spent five seasons as manager of the Astros, leading them to the World Series crown in 2017 – the first in franchise history for the entire 2020 season. Then the Tigers gave him a chance at redemption, and now he's experiencing a sort of “revenge streak” against that Team he led to glory not long ago.

Astros: The Astros will try to make at least the ALCS for the eighth straight season. This makes them the closest thing to a modern MLB dynasty. They're also looking for their third World Series title in the last eight years. Things didn't go well for Houston this season under first-year coach Joe Espada. At one point, in early May, they were 12 games under .500, and as late as June 18, they were 10 games behind the Mariners in the AL West. However, the rotation got healthy, Alex Bregman found his level, and the Astros surged. Recent history teaches us not to doubt this in October.