Rangers vs. Astros ALCS Game 3 Starting Pitcher Matchup - October 18

Updated Oct. 18, 2023 5:44 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

The Texas Rangers host the Houston Astros for Game 3 of the ALCS on Wednesday at 8:03 PM ET at Globe Life Field. The Rangers have a 2-0 lead in the series.

Learn more about this Rangers vs. Astros matchup on Fox Sports.

The Rangers are set to give the nod to Max Scherzer (13-6, 3.77 ERA) versus the Astros and Cristian Javier (10-5, 4.56 ERA).

Rangers Probable Starter: Max Scherzer

Scherzer (13-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 152 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Rangers, his 28th of the season.
His most recent appearance came on Tuesday, Sept. 12 against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the righty went 5 1/3 scoreless innings while giving up three hits.
The 39-year-old has put up an ERA of 3.77, with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, in 27 games this season. Opposing hitters have a .221 batting average against him.
Scherzer has recorded 14 quality starts this season.
Scherzer has pitched five or more innings in a game 22 times this year entering this outing.
He has had seven appearances this season in which he held his opponents to zero earned runs.
He will match up with an Astros squad that is batting .259 as a unit (fourth in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .437 (sixth in MLB) with 222 total home runs (seventh in MLB).
Head-to-head against the Astros this season, Scherzer has thrown 11 innings, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits while striking out 12.

Scherzer's Game Props

Strikeouts Prop: Over/Under 4.5 (Over Odds: -115)
Hits Prop: Over/Under 3.5 (Over Odds: -115)

Scherzer's Recent Appearances

Opponent	Date	IP	H	R	ER	K	BB
at Blue Jays	Sep. 12	5.1	3	0	0	2	1
vs. Astros	Sep. 6	3.0	6	7	7	4	2
vs. Twins	Sep. 1	6.0	1	0	0	7	2
at Twins	Aug. 26	7.0	4	2	2	10	1
vs. Brewers	Aug. 20	3.2	3	3	3	4	4

Astros Probable Starter: Cristian Javier

The Astros will send Javier (10-5) to the mound for his 32nd start this season.
The right-hander last pitched on Tuesday, Oct. 10, when he allowed one hit in five scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins.
The 26-year-old has pitched in 31 games this season with an ERA of 4.56 and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, with an opponent batting average of .234.
He has 11 quality starts in 31 chances this season.
Javier will look to pitch five or more innings for the third start in a row.
He has kept opponents from scoring an earned run in two straight appearances.
The Rangers rank third in MLB with 881 runs scored this season. They have a .263 batting average this campaign with 233 home runs (third in the league).
This season, the right-hander has pitched against the Rangers in one game, and they have gone 9-for-23 with a double, two home runs and eight RBI over 4 1/3 innings.
Among qualified pitchers this season, the 26-year-old's 4.56 ERA ranks 37th, 1.265 WHIP ranks 31st, and 8.8 K/9 ranks 27th.