American League Division Series Game 3s: Orioles at Rangers/Astros at Twins

The Baltimore Orioles are fighting to stay alive against a Texas Rangers squad that hasn’t yet lost a postseason game. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins hope home-field advantage works in their favor. With their Series tied at 1-1, they could clinch the ALDS at Target Field by winning Games 3 and 4.

The Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins face off in the ALDS Game 3 at 3:00 p.m. CT. The Twinkies would love a home-field W.

Cristian Javier gets the ball today for the Astros. The 26-year-old last pitched in Houston’s final game on October 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He captured the win and a quality start, giving up no runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings. The righty had a challenging regular season, going 10-5 with a 4.56 ERA in 31 starts. His ERA was a career-high, up from 2.54 in 2022. Javier is no stranger to the postseason, however. Since 2020, which was also his rookie year, he’s appeared in 14 games and has a 2.20 ERA over 32 2⁄3 innings, including a win in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series. The key to a Houston win is keeping Carlos Correa in check. The 29-year-old shortstop is slashing an unbelievable .533/.588/.733 with a 1.321 OPS.

Minnesota is depending on Sonny Gray to capture another postseason victory. The righthander last pitched on October 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card when he went five innings and surrendered no runs on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Gray will need to be on his A-game, though, against the potent Astros offense, specifically Yordan Álvarez. The big man is a postseason home run monster. Including 2022, he’s hit homers in four of his last five ALDS games. He had 31 total bombs on the season and eight in September.

You can watch the broadcast at 3:00 p.m. CT on FOX.

Next up in the evening contest at 7:00 p.m. CT are the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. The O’s are hoping to tame the impressive Lone Star offense, but that’s sure to be a challenge in an electric Globe Life Field.

Baltimore has their backs against the wall. With a 101-win regular season, the young O’s face elimination tonight in a must-win Game 3. They’re handing the ball to 27-year-old Dean Kremer, who came over in the 2018 Manny Machado trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the past two seasons, the big righty has been a dependable arm for the O’s. In 2023, he had a record of 13-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 172 2⁄3 innings. Tonight will be his first postseason appearance, so hopefully, he stays strong under the pressure of the bright lights.

After a disappointing end to the season by losing the AL West to the Astros, the Rangers haven’t let up on the gas since. They swept the Tampa Bay Rays and hope to take care of business tonight at home. The veteran Nathan Eovaldi is set to take the bump for Texas. The 33-year-old last pitched in the AL Wild Card Game 2 against the Rays. He secured the win and eliminated Tampa by surrendering only one run on six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. The playoffs are nothing new for the righty, as he’s appeared in 12 games with a 5-3 record and a 2.90 ERA over 49 2⁄3 innings.

You can catch the broadcast at 7:00 p.m. CT on FOX.