Gamethread: Houston at Atlanta (World Series Game 3)

Entering Friday night, the series is about as 50-50 as they come

The Braves raced out to a big lead and never looked back in Game 1, but nearly everything came up Astros in Game 2. As a result, the series shifts to Atlanta with the teams being tied at one win.

Right-handed pitcher Ian Anderson will start on the mound for the Braves. The 23-year-old was drafted third overall in the 2016 MLB Draft. It is still early, but Anderson is off to a strong start to his major league career. After posting 1.1 fWAR despite pitching only 32 ¹⁄₃ innings in 2020, Anderson was solid again for the Braves in 2021. In 128 ¹⁄₃ MLB innings during the regular season, Anderson posted a 3.58 ERA, 4.30 xERA, and 4.12 FIP, rendering him a 1.9-fWAR pitcher. Anderson has pitched admirably this postseason, and he has a 1.47 ERA to show for his efforts. His postseason FIP is 2.73, and opposing hitters have slashed only .179/.276/.241 against him.

Luis García, another right-handed pitcher, will be the starter for the Astros. García posted a 3.30 ERA, 3.98 xERA, and a 3.63 FIP in 155 ¹⁄₃ regular season innings. As a result, García was a 3.1-fWAR pitcher this season. The playoffs have been a struggle for the 24-year-old, however. In three postseason games, García has posted a 9.64 ERA and a 5.63 FIP, with opposing hitters slashing .216/.341/.459 against him. García struggled immensely against the White Sox, resulting in the South Siders’ only playoff victory of 2021.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

According to FiveThirtyEight, both teams have a 50% chance of winning the World Series. FanGraphs is a bit more bullish on Houston, giving the Astros a 54.4% chance of winning it all.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:09 Central, Fox will televise it, and ESPN will have the radio coverage.