What a difference a week makes. The Houston Astros went into Arlington and bludgeoned the Rangers for three straight games, and now enter tonight’s pivotal Game 6 with a 3-2 lead in the series. In Game 5 on Friday, the benches cleared in the eighth inning after Adolis Garcia was hit by a Bryan Abreu pitch, with Abreu getting a two-game suspension for the plunking. The Astros will send Framber Valdez (12-11, 3.45 ERA) to the mound, while the Rangers will counter with Nathan Eovaldi (12-5, 3.63). First pitch is set for 8:03 p.m. ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Astros are -125 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Rangers are +105 underdogs. The total is set at 8.5.
The Rangers have submitted their lineup ahead of today’s game, so let’s see how they’ll go up against Valdez.
Rangers starting lineup, ALCS Game 6, Sunday, Oct. 22
Rangers starting lineup for ALCS Game 6, October 22 at Houston pic.twitter.com/nqkM8LVGTZ
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) October 22, 2023
Bruce Bochy is mixing things up once again with a lefty on the mound. For the first time this series, the struggling Evan Carter is not in the lineup: Robbie Grossman will start in left and bat third, with Mitch Garver serving as the DH and hitting fifth. Jonah Heim moves up to sixth in the order, with Leody Taveras in the nine hole.