The ALCS between the Red Sox and Astros is tied up at one win apiece, and Tuesday occasions Game 3 in Houston. 

In this one, the visiting Red Sox send hard-throwing right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound. Eovaldi is coming off a gem against the Yankees in the ALDS, and during the regular season he pitched to a 3.81 ERA and a 5.05 K/BB ratio in 111 innings for the Rays and Red Sox. Opposing him will be lefty Dallas Keuchel for Houston. Keuchel pitched solidly against the Indians in Game 3 of the ALDS (two runs in five innings), and during the regular season he put up an ERA+ of 108 and a ground-ball percentage of 53.7 in 204 2/3 innings. 

ALCS Game 3: Red Sox vs. Astros

  • Date: Tuesday, Oct. 16
  • Time: 5:09 p.m. ET
  • Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston
  • TV channel: TBS
  • Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free) 
  • Live stats: GameTracker
  • Odds: Astros -131/ Red Sox +118
  • Picks: Check SportsLine's MLB pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Storylines

Red Sox: Alex Cora's bullpen looked strong for the most in their Game 2 victory, but it remains a concern going forward. Will he again look to an off-day starter to get outs in the middle innings? Cora would probably like to start Rick Porcello in Game 4, but if pressed will he turn to Porcello in relief as he did in Game 2 and in the ALDS against New York? As well, Craig Kimbrel hasn't looked right all postseason, and that was the case in Game 2, even though he recorded the save. 

Astros: In this one, the Astros will face a right-handed starter for the first time in the ALCS (Chris Sale and David Price started Games 1 and 2 for Boston, respectively). That's a potential challenge, especially against a guy who sits 98 with his fastball. During the regular season, the Astros led the AL with an .803 against lefties. Against right-handed pitching, however, Houston ranked just ninth in the AL with an OPS of .733. 

Game prediction picks

It says here that Eovaldi will shove again, while the Red Sox do enough damage against Keuchel. It's a low-scoring affair, but a deep run by Eovaldi plus some bullpen escape acts in the late innings give Boston a 2-1 lead in the series. 

Pick: Red Sox (+118)

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