The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers square off tonight in the ALCS in a crucial Game 3 for both teams. The Astros will try to pick up their first win this series, which will be difficult to do on the road. For the Rangers, they're looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead and quiet all hope for Houston. After an action-packed Game 2 win for Texas, let's see what MLB The Show has in store for Game 3.

The starting pitchers tonight are Max Scherzer for the Rangers and Cristian Javier for the Astros. Scherzer will be making his 2023 postseason debut tonight, while Javier is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

Final Score: Astros 4, Rangers 0

A surprisingly quiet game from the Rangers was met with an extremely overdue outing for the Astros. Cristian Javier was lights out. He tossed eight innings of shutout baseball while striking out seven batters. Max Scherzer wasn't at his best in his return. The Astros got to him early in the first inning with a leadoff double from Jose Altuve, followed by RBI doubles from Yordan Alvarez, and Jose Abreu. Scherzer left the game after pitching five innings and allowing three runs.

The x-factor for the Astros almost always seems to be star slugger Yordan Alvarez. He went 3-4 in the simulated Game 3 with two RBIs and a home run. Alvarez's offensive production alone would have been enough to beat the Rangers in this game.

The Astros finished with four runs on ten hits, while the Rangers were unable to score despite recording eight hits. It would be out of character for the Rangers to be shut out tonight, especially at home. The Rangers are 7-0 in this postseason for a reason, and they've only scored less than three runs once so far in the playoffs. However, a shutout isn't totally out of the picture, as Cristian Javier has been the starting pitcher for both of Houston's combined no-hitters in the past two years. He even started the World Series game against the Phillies where it was done in Game 4.

The Game 3 matchup tonight should be a good one. The stakes are incredibly high for both teams. The Rangers look to continue their perfect record on their way to the World Series. The Astros will have to win a few games on the road if they hope to win back-to-back pennants.

Game 3 of the ALCS is tonight at 8:03 PM ET.

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