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After storming into Houston and taking the first two games of this ALCS, the Texas Rangers now return home looking to put one more nail in the coffin of the arch-rival Astros in Game 3 on Wednesday night. First pitch from Globe Life Park is set for 8:07 p.m. ET. Houston will hand the ball to righty Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56 ERA) as they hope to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole, while Max Scherzer (13-6, 3.77) makes his return from a shoulder injury to start for Texas.
The defending world champions find themselves on the ropes, needing to win two of three on the road to keep their title defense alive. Outside of Yordan Alvarez, who continues to crush the ball in October, Houston’s bats have been largely kept quiet so far in this series, getting shut out in Game 1 before being held in check by Nathan Eovaldi and falling short in the late innings of a 5-4 loss in Game 2. Javier enters this start riding a 14-inning scoreless streak in the postseason, but it won’t matter unless the Astros can get to Scherzer — and get Jose Altuve and Kyle Tucker back on track.
The Rangers have all the momentum heading into Game 3, but as the old saying goes, momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Which begs the question: After more than a month on the shelf with teres major strain, what can we expect from Scherzer in this spot? The righty got lit up the last time he faced the Astros, but his postseason resume is as long as anyone’s. Texas’ lineup exploded on Framber Valdez in the first inning of Game 2, and jumping out to an early lead again could do wonders as they look to help Scherzer settle in.
Texas enters as -130 favorites on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Astros at +110. The run total is set at 9.
Astros vs. Rangers ALCS Game 3 live stream
Pitchers: Cristian Javier vs. Max Scherzer
First pitch: 8:07 p.m. ET
TV channel: FS1
Live stream: Fox Sports Live, FOX Sports App
Moneyline odds: Rangers -130, Astros +110
You can live stream the game at Fox Sports Live or through the FOX Sports App. It will require a cable login with access to FS1. If you don’t have a cable login for the FOX Sports App, you can get a free trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game.