The Houston Astros are down 2-0 to the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series and while the prospect of facing Max Scherzer in game three on the road sounds daunting for the Astros, the form Scherzer will be in warrants questions.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers (140, 9)
Scherzer Has not pitched in any sort of MLB or minor league game since September 12 and does not have a chance to make a rehab appearance to ramp up for Wednesday’s start.
Additionally, Scherzer overall this season has a 3.77 ERA and 4.32 fielding independent with 1.7 home runs per nine innings surrendered with a 4.56 ERA at Globe Life Park this season.
Forty for Scherzer he is back up by the American League’s top scoring offense this season that between the regular season and postseason has average over a full run per game more at home than on the road.
Texas is registering a league-best nearly six runs per game at home compared to 4.9 runs per game on the road with a home runs per-plate appearance percentage that was second among all MLB teams at home during the regular season compared to 22nd on the road.
On the other side, the Astros have been a far better offense on the road than at home, averaging just under 4.5 runs per game at home between the regular season and postseason compared to nearly 5.7 runs per game on the road and from June 1 until the last day of the regular season, led the American League in runs per game.
Astros starting pitcher Christian Javier will look to use that to his advantage as his overall regular season numbers are not pretty, posting a 4.56 ERA and career-low 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, but since the month of September had regained his peak form.
In seven starts since September 1, Javier has a 3.53 ERA with 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings and an opponents batting average below .200.
Javier is also backed up by the better bullpen as the Astros bullpen pitched 6 1/3 innings of shut out baseball in game two of the series and overall in the regular season were sixth in the league in bullpen ERA with a 3.56 ERA Rangers ranked 24th with a 4.77 ERA.
Max Scherzer has not thrown a pitch in a competitive baseball game in over a month and with having to face the Astros without any rehab assignments, he is in for a rude welcome in his return to the mound.
The Play: Astros +120
