The Tigers welcome Houston to Motown after taking three of four from the Twins in Minneapolis. After sputtering to open the month, Detroit is 7-3 in their last ten and 8.5 games ahead of Cleveland in the Central Division. Yesterday the Tigers gave up eight runs in the first four innings and were blasted by the Twins 8-1.

Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports that Alvarez will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Corpus Christi. He’ll serve as a designated hitter in his first rehab game back, and the club plans to have him down for “a few games” before he can be activated off the injured list.

The best two records among division champs in each league get a first-round bye, while the third has to play in a best-of-three wild-card series.

The Astros had won three consecutive series before losing two of three to the Orioles, the last-place team in the AL East.