With the regular season stretching another 102 days, both the 30-43 Tigers and 34-41 Astros are trying to claw back toward respectability in a phase where every series matters for long-term positioning.

Detroit took Tuesday's game 9-3 to grab the series lead, but Houston bounced back in a close one the same night — these two clubs have been going back and forth in a rivalry that has generally favored the Tigers, who've won four of the last five meetings between these franchises. Detroit has been streaky of late, sandwiching a dominant 11-0 blowout of Minnesota between losses, while Houston enters on a four-game losing skid that includes a pair of ugly defeats in Anaheim. Both clubs are playing on back-to-back rest, so depth and freshness factor in equally.

Whether Houston can finally string a quality start and a clean bullpen effort together after a stretch of games where runs have been hard to come by will likely determine if the Astros salvage this series finale or cede the rubber game to a Tigers club that has shown it can put up big numbers when the moment calls for it.