ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers took their undefeated postseason road game winning streak and put it up against the Arizona Diamondbacks and a loud and rowdy crowd witnessing the first World Series game at Chase Field since Luis Gonzalez walked it off against Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the 2001 Fall Classic.
Sterling defense, more heroics from Corey Seager, and some gutsy pitching from Jon Gray and the bullpen in relief of an ailing Max Scherzer put a damper on Arizona’s home return to October’s showcase. For Texas, it was a critical win as they set a new postseason record with their ninth consecutive road victory.
Where we stand
All-around defense – The bottom of the 2nd of Game 3 proved to be a key inning early on. Arizona first baseman Christian Walker, who had been struggling in the postseason, laced a double just to the right of center field. Tommy Pham, who was 4-for-4 in Game 2, shot a single the other way toward Adolis Garcia. Walker, not the fastest runner, decided to blow through a very late stop sign and found himself out by several feet as he tried to score on Garcia’s arm.
One pop-up later, with Pham in scoring position, Alek Thomas shot a line drive right back to Scherzer, whose back was facing the plate. The ball ricocheted off the future Hall of Fame hurler only to land in front of Josh Jung, who picked it barehanded and threw out the speedy Thomas. The Rangers, the best defensive team in the postseason, also got a sparkling double play to help get Aroldis Chapman out of danger in the 8th.
Semien, finally – Marcus Semien, coming into Game 3 was batting just .197 this postseason. The Rangers’ consummate leadoff hitter, who set a new franchise record for leadoff homers in the regular season, has been struggling to contribute.
However, in the 3rd inning, Semien’s time came as he was able to drive in Nathaniel Lowe, who had led the inning off with a double, with a two-out RBI single that opened the scoring. One pitch later, Seager sent a rocket to right field and the Rangers had all the runs that they would need up 3-0. Texas is going to need more big moments from Semien, but they were surely happy to see him get one on the board in Game 3.
Adjust the sleep number – The trainers were unfortunately busy for the Rangers in Game 3. Scherzer, after getting hit by a ball off his pitching elbow that ricocheted and hit his back awkwardly, felt his back tighten in the 3rd inning and exited after attempting to warm up to start the 4th. That led to some heroics from Jon Gray who relieved with three scoreless innings to pick up the win.
In addition to Scherzer’s balky back, ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia came up clutching his side after taking a cut that produced a flyout to end the 8th inning. Garcia was lifted from the game with outfielder Travis Jankowski replacing him in right field for the final inning. Garcia is being evaluated but if he misses time, Texas will be without perhaps their most dangerous hitter and the heart and soul of the lineup.
Game 4 match-up
Texas Rangers (2-1) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (1-2) – 7:03 PM CT, Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona – Broadcast on FOX
Similar to their strategy in the Championship Series against Philadelphia, the Diamondbacks are ready to go with a bullpen game in Game 4. This mirrors the strategy they deployed in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Phillies. In that game, the Snakes went with the combination of relievers Joe Mantiply, Luis Frias, Kyle Nelson, Miguel Castro, Andrew Saalfrank, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and Paul Sewald.
The eight-pitcher game saw the Diamondbacks allow five runs on eight hits while striking out 11 as Arizona bested the Phillies after a three-run bottom of the 8th in a 6-5 win. It will be Mantiply who starts the game again in Game 4 so Arizona is looking to follow the same formula.
In Game 3, manager Torey Lovullo used Castro, Nelson, Frias and Saalfrank. While that might not factor into who gets used in Game 4, it might affect their limits and effectiveness. Texas had issues scoring runs all season when teams threw bullpen games at them. Game 4 would be a good time to pull away from that trend.
The Rangers will throw a bullpen game of their own, though of a different breed. With Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery expected to shoulder the burdens of Game 5 in Arizona and Game 6 back home in Arlington if necessary, Gray was looked upon as a potential Game 4 starter. However, the injury to Scherzer threw those plans in the trash as Gray was called upon to relieve Scherzer, throwing three shutout innings.
Andrew Heaney will make the start instead, likely with Dane Dunning picking up the rest of the starter’s share of innings. So it’s two starters for the price of one for Texas, each having been moved to the bullpen to provide length and depth to the Rangers’ weakest unit.
The last time Texas used Heaney and Dunning as a combo, Heaney allowed three runs on four hits and only retired two batters in Game 4 of the ALCS. Dunning would come on in relief and give up three more runs on three hits, striking out four. Prior to that, the Heaney and Dunning show opened up the Division Series games against the Orioles with more success. Heaney gave Texas 3 ⅔ innings of one-run ball, while Dunning would come on in relief with two innings of one-run ball in the Game 1 win.
Avoid or Continue
Avoid: Complacency – The Rangers got three runs in consecutive pitches off the bats of Semien and Seager in the 3rd inning. From that point, Texas managed two walks and a single. While the end result was favorable, letting off the gas pedal is not an ideal strategy with a bullpen that has had a propensity for blowups.
Continue: Making the plays – It’s been said time and time again, but the defensive prowess of the Rangers continues to be a highlight throughout the postseason. While Jung, Seager, and Garcia stood out as playmakers in Game 3, everyone getting meaningful innings in these playoffs are capable of putting up Gold Glove-caliber plays. Those plays have been translating into victories.
Avoid: Chapman, if you can manage it – The veteran former closer appears to be a mere shell of his former self. Chapman has battled command issues ever since coming over from the Royals a couple of weeks before the trade deadline. Thanks to a game-saving double play on a scorched ball off the bat of Ketel Marte in the 8th, Chapman escaped more damage after coughing up Arizona’s lone run.
At this point, Chapman is nowhere near as reliable as Bruce Bochy wants him to be and he’s especially ineffective pitching on consecutive days so he should be avoided in the late innings on Tuesday night unless Texas has no other choice.
Do you think the Rangers will be able to string together the innings to go up 3-1 in the World Series? Share your predictions with Matt on Twitter @FisherWritesMLB.
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