2023 ALCS, Astros vs. Rangers Best Bets: Mad Max is Back, Right?
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Wed Oct 18, 2023, 11:49 am ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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It's Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, and the Rangers hold a firm 2-0 lead over the Astros, with the series now shifting to Arlington.
As a baseball fan myself for only about four years, this is by far the most exciting post-season I've been a part of. We're seeing balls fly, runs being scored, and stellar defensive plays across the board.
The Rangers will look to their ace, Mad Max (Max Scherzer), to get them the win in his first game back from injury.
The Astros will counter with right hander Christian Javier, who's coming off a scoreless outing vs the Twins.
With so much great baseball being played, let's get straight into our best bets for Game 3 of the ALCS!
Astros vs. Rangers Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Globe Life Field; Arlington, Texas
- Date: October 18th, 2023
- Time: 7:03 PM EST
Pitching Matchup
- Houston Astros: Christian Javier (10-3; 4.56 ERA)
- Texas Rangers: Max Scherzer (12-6; 3.77 ERA)
Betting Odds
Courtesy of Bovada
Runline
- Houston Astros +1.5 (-170)
- Texas Rangers -1.5 (+140)
Moneyline
- Houston Astros (+111)
- Texas Rangers (-133)
Total
- Over 9 (-110)
- Under 9 (-110)
Astros vs. Rangers Prediction & Best Bets
The Astros enter game three still searching for their first win of the series. Their struggles in this series have mainly come from inside the batter's box. Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Yainer Diaz have all struggled to even make contact this post-season.
Altuve, Tucker, and Diaz were all among some of the Astros best hitters during the regular season, to no one's surprise; all hitting > 0.270.
Now in the playoffs , all three guys are hitting sub .180 and Diaz has yet to record a hit in the post-season. Altuve is an abysmal 2/25 in the post-season with Tucker going 2/22.
On the other side, the Rangers offense is firing on all cylinders.
Six of their 10 hitters with post-season ABs are hitting above 0.250. Seager, Taveres, Carter, and Jung are all hitting well above 0.300.
Astros vs. Rangers Best Bets
Texas Rangers F5 Team Total o2.5 Runs (-115) via Bovada
The Rangers have the hottest offense in the post-season, not lead by Bryce Harper. We've seen what the Phillies have been doing to opposing pitchers, and the only offense that could rival them is this Rangers lineup.
Texas have 6 of the 10 batters they've used this post-season, hitting above 0.250. They've got 4 guys currently hitting over 0.300, all with 20+ ABs this post-season.
During the regular season, the Rangers had the 2nd best batting average in innings one to six; also with the second most runs scored. They trailed only the Braves in both categories.
The Rangers have put runs up early, and it hasn't stopped in the post-season. They've upped their batting average in innings 1-6 to 0.322 with all 9 of their HRs. coming in the same innings.
Lastly, the Rangers have scored 39 runs this post-season, second only to the Phillies (46), but 38 of those 39 runs have come in innings 1-6.
Javier faced off with the Rangers just once this season, going just 4.1 innings in Arlington. He gave up 9 hits, and allowed 8 ER, and 2 HR.
He's also struggled this season against lefties, allowing them to hit 0.273 with 12 HR. Javier's also struggled a little this season on the road, recording a 5.17 ERA on the road versus his 3.71 ERA at home; 18 of the 25 HRs he's given up are also on the road.
Do the Astros get swept? I couldn't tell you. I'm not a huge believer in Scherzer's return from injury but their offense is more than capable of getting the job done.
Back the Rangers white hot offense with me tonight, let's sweat some bangs.
Texas Rangers F5 Team Total o2.5 Runs (-115) via Bovada
Corey Seager o1.5 Total Bases (-120) via Bovada
On the season, Seager's hitting 0.327 with 33 HR and 96 RBI; all while missing 43 games with an injury.
When in Arlington, Seager's found a way to elevate his game even more. He's batting 0.337 with 23 of his 33 HR coming at home.
In seven games against the Astros this season, he's hitting 0.346 with 2HR. Through Games 1 and 2, Seager's 2/9 with 2 singles. He's been struggling a bit, but with him returning home, it's the perfect time to turn it around.
Even with his struggles so far in the ALCS, Seager's hitting 0.391 in the playoffs with 3 doubles and a home run through 7 games. Six of these seven games have come on the road for the Rangers.
In their single home play-off game, Seager went 1/2 with 2 walks and a home run. Arlington should be turned all the way up for their second home game of the playoffs. Seager with the home crowd at his back, is going to send one yard.
Corey Seager o1.5 Total Bases (-120) via Bovada
Yordan Alvarez o1.5 Hits, Runs, & RBI (-110) via Bovada
If you haven't been watching what Yordan Alvarez has been doing in these playoffs, you may be living under a rock.
Through six playoff games, Yordan's batting 0.391 with 6 HR and 8 RBI. After going 0/4 in Game 1, Yordan came out in Game 2 and hit 2 solo HR.
On the year, Alvarez is batting 0.291 with 31 HR; but like Seager he also missed significant time. Alvarez played in just 114 games, but still managed 97 RBI.
When playing in Arlington, Yordan's hitting a career 0.308 with 9 HR and 22 RBI. This season, in 3 games in Texas, he was batting 0.333 with 2 HR, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored.
Against Scherzer, Yordan is a career 0.571 in 7 ABs, with 3 singles and a home run.
Yordan's also hit this line in 5 of 6 playoff games, and 2 of 3 games at the Rangers this season.
He's been carrying the Astros during this playoff run, and if they want to steal a game here in Texas, they'll need him to continue his stellar play.
Yordan Alvarez o1.5 Hits, Runs, & RBI (-110)
Bonus Sprinkle: Y. Alvarez & C. Seager to Hit 1+ Home Run Each (+1600) via Bovada Specials
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