The Texas Rangers are just two wins away from their first World Series title in franchise history.
Texas claimed a 3-1 victory in Game 3 of the Fall Classic on Monday night to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, but the win came at a huge cost as two key Rangers players were injured in the process. Pitcher Max Scherzer left Game 3 after three innings of work with back spasms, and outfielder Adolis Garcia also left the game with tightness in his left side. The availability of both players for the remainder of the World Series is in doubt.
Bet on Rangers vs Diamondbacks GM4
TEX -110
ARZ -110
This game is a pick’em at bet365 for the second consecutive game in the series and the total is set at 9.5 runs.
Rangers vs. Diamondbacks odds
| Rangers Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Diamondbacks Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Runline odds | Diamondbacks -1.5 (+175), Rangers +1.5 (-210) |
| Series odds | Rangers -300, Diamondbacks +240 |
| Over/Under | 9.5 runs (over +100, under -120) |
| Time/Date | Oct. 31, 8:03 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Rangers (90-72 SU, 87-74 ATS, 81-69-11 o/u)
The health status of Garcia is the biggest factor heading into Game 4. The slugger delivered a walk-off home run in Game 1, giving him eight blasts this postseason. He’s also driven in 22 runs in the playoffs to this point. If he’s ruled for Game 4, or potentially for the rest of the series, it would be a huge blow to Texas’s chances of winning it all. Before exiting Monday, the Gold Glove finalist threw a 95-mph rocket from the outfield to gun down Arizona’s Christian Walker at home plate and save a run.
Shortstop Corey Seager was the hero of Game 3 after belting his second two-run homer of the series. It was his fifth of the postseason. He’s slashing .298/.444/.649 this October and he’ll be counted on even more to produce runs if Garcia is ruled out for any length of time.
Scherzer’s health status won’t impact Game 4 as he’d be resting regardless after throwing the previous night. However, losing a pitcher with over 30 postseason appearances on his resume at this stage of the season obviously wouldn’t be ideal. Scherzer was in line to potentially start a do-or-die Game 7, if necessary.
Manager Bruce Bochy should provide updates on the health of both of the team’s injured stars prior to the first pitch on Tuesday. Garcia is awaiting the results of an MRI.
A good potential in-game betting nugget: Texas is 9-0 this postseason when scoring first, and the Rangers are the first team in major league history to win their first nine road games in one postseason.
About the Diamondbacks (84-78 SU, 85-76 ATS, 69-84-8 o/u)
The Diamondbacks hosted their first World Series game on Monday since Game 7 of the 2001 Fall Classic when Luis Gonzalez walked off the New York Yankees. They went 4-0 at home during the 2001 Fall Classic en route to the first, and only, World Series championship in franchise history.
Down 2-1 in the series, the D-Backs still find themselves in a good position with the next two games of the series being played on home turf before the series potentially shifts back to Texas.
The Diamondbacks used Kyle Nelson, Miguel Castro, Luis Frias and Andrew Saalfrank out of their bullpen in Game 3, but all of them were able to keep their pitch counts relatively low. Frias threw the most pitches of the bunch with only 20, which bodes well for the group’s availability in Game 4. Ryne Nelson, Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, and closer Paul Sewald have all had significant rest heading into Game 4, which is ideal due to the planned bullpen game.
Corey Seager to hit a home run
+330
Probable pitchers
Texas: LHP Andrew Heaney (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 1.50 K/9, 1.38 WHIP
Heaney is poised to make his third start and fifth appearance of the postseason for the Rangers. Don’t expect him to pitch deep into the game, as his longest outing so far during this October run was 3 2/3 innings on Oct. 7 against Baltimore. Opponents are batting a juicy .292 against him this postseason, and he did pitch in relief against the D-Backs in Game 2, allowing one hit in less than an inning of work.
Heaney went 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA and made 28 starts for the Rangers during the regular season, earning nine wins as a starter.
Texas’s bullpen is in relatively good shape after Jon Gray, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman, and Jose Leclerc worked in Monday’s win. Only Gray, who tossed three solid innings in relief, will potentially be unavailable for work in Game 4.
Arizona: LHP Joe Mantiply (2-0, 4.26 ERA, 7.11 K/9, 1.26 WHIP)
Mantiply will be the opener for the Diamondbacks after making a brief appearance in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. He’ll be making his second start of the postseason and eighth career playoff appearance when he takes the mound on Tuesday. Mantiply has been incredible this October, aside from one disastrous outing in the National League Championship Series against the Phillies, when he was tagged for three runs while walking two batters. Expect him to work an inning or two, at the most, before turning the ball over to the rest of the bullpen.
Weather
The retractable roof was open at Chase Field for Game 3, and there’s a good chance it’ll be open again on Tuesday night with temperatures around 22 C expected under clear skies. Winds be light out of the east at 13 km/h.
Betting trends
- There have been 62 previous instances in World Series history when the series was tied at 1-1 after Game 2. The Game 3 winner (Texas in this year’s case) went on to win 41 of 62 (66%) of those Fall Classics.
- Arizona is 4-1 on the run line in its last five games.
Player prop trends
- Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte has hit safely in each of his first 19 postseason games, the longest streak in MLB postseason history. He has 29 hits during that span and is +185 to record over 1.5 hits on Tuesday.
- Rangers rookie Evan Carter is riding an eight-game hitting streak into play and has at least one knock in 14 of his 15 postseason games. He’s a steep -175 to record over 0.5 hits in this one.
- Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo is on a nice “total bases” run, eclipsing his posted number in seven straight games. He’s -125 to record over 0.5 total bases.
Wagers to consider
- Heaney to record under (-140) 9.5 outs. Although he threw just six pitches in Game 2, Heaney will still have an incredibly short leash on Tuesday with a rested Texas bullpen. It’s very unlikely Bochy will allow him to pitch a second time through Arizona’s lineup.
- Marte to hit a home run (+360). As previously mentioned, he’s tearing the cover off the ball lately and has two homers in just six at-bats versus Heaney. Marte has two homers this postseason, and none since the NLDS series against the Dodgers, but this could be a good spot to back him. Walker (+425) also has two career homers off Heaney in just three career at-bats against the southpaw.
