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 last time the Rangers were in Houston, they swept the Astros at home and held a 2-0 series lead. Those vibes have since dissipated, and Texas will now be playing for their playoff lives. There are worse guys to send to the mound in this situation than ‘Big Game Nate’ Eovaldi, who allowed three runs over six innings in Game 2 with a career postseason-high nine strikeouts. In 10 regular-season outings against the Astros, Eovaldi has yielded an .857 OPS, which is his second-worst mark against any AL opponent. The Rangers took the lead in the sixth inning of Game 5, but their bullpen imploded against the Astros, with Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc blowing it in the eighth inning (it was the first blown save for Leclerc this postseason).
And then there’s the Astros. They’re nowhere near a complete team, but they now sit one game away from going to their third straight World Series. Jose Altuve has been a superstar for them this series, and added to his postseason legacy with the go-ahead three-run home run in Game 5, his 26th career postseason dinger. They might need some more of that offense to win Game 6, as Valdez allowed five runs (four earned) over 2.2 innings in Game 2, and has allowed 10 runs total in his two postseason starts.
The Astros are -125 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Rangers are +105 underdogs. The run total is set at 8.5.
Rangers vs. Astros ALCS Game 6 live stream
Pitchers: Nathan Eovaldi vs. Framber Valdez
First pitch: 8:03 p.m. ET
TV channel: FS1
Live stream: FOX Live, FOX Sports App
Moneyline odds: Astros -125, Rangers +105
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.