CURE CEO Eric Poe throws out Detroit Tigers first pitch to Tarik Skubal
Eric Poe, CEO of CURE Auto Insurance, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Detroit Tigers phenom Tarik Skubal, a celebrity pitchman for CURE, on Aug. 5 at Comerica Park.
The Detroit Tigers took care of business on their seven-game road trip, winning two of three games vs. the Chicago White Sox and three of four against the Minnesota Twins.
Now comes the tough part.
The Tigers will host the Houston Astros for a big three-game series at Comerica Park in a that will have huge potential playoff ramifications.
Both the Tigers and Astros are in the running to finish with one of the two best records in the American League, which means a bye for the wild-card round of the MLB playoffs.
The Tigers lost two of three games to the Astros in April, so they’ll need to at least win the series to have a chance at the tiebreaker. If the squads split their six games during the regular season, it’ll come down to record in division, where the Tigers should have a big advantage.
Here’s what you need to know about the Tigers’ upcoming series against A.J. Hinch’s former team:
Yes, the Tigers host the Houston Astros for a three-game series starting on Monday, Aug. 18 and ending on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Game 1 date: Monday, Aug. 18.
Time: 6:40 pm. ET.
Location: Comerica Park, Detroit.
How to watch Tigers vs. Astros
All three games of the upcoming series against the Astros will be broadcasted both locally on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, as well as nationally. Monday and Wednesday’s games will be on MLB Network for people out of market, while Tuesday’s game will air on TBS.
Game 1 first pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET.
Channel: FSND, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Streaming: FanDuel TV+, Fubo.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1).
All games can be streamed on the FanDuel TV+ app and through Fubo, which carries FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.
Watch FanDuel Sports Network Detroit on Fubo
Rest of Tigers vs. Astros series start times
The first two games of this key series will start at 6:40 p.m., while the series finale will be at 1:10 p.m.
Monday: 6:40 p.m. ET (FSND).
Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. ET (FSND).
Wednesday: 1:10 p.m. ET (FSDN).
Tigers vs. Astros pitching matchup
Tigers starters Jack Flaherty slots into his usual spot in the rotation for the first game against the Astros, then we get the best matchup of the series on Tuesday between Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Astros All-Star Hunter Brown, who pitched in college at Wayne State. Wednesday the Tigers will turn the ball over to 41-year-old Charlie Morton to face two-time All-Star Framber Valdez.
Monday: RHP Jack Flaherty (DET) vs. RHP Spencer Arrighetti (HOU).
Tuesday: LHP Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. RHP Hunter Brown (HOU)
Wednesday: RHP Charlie Morton (DET) vs LHP Framber Valdez (HOU)
You can reach Andrew at abirkle@freepress.com.
