The Texas Rangers were certainly hoping for something better. They had been relatively dominant in their own ballpark during the season, although they had lost all three games in Arlington to Houston in the ALCS. But if possible, they wanted the luxury of being up two games in the World Series as they put Max Scherzer on the mound in Game 3.

They were not so lucky.

The dismal 9-1 loss in Game 2, where Jordan Montgomery failed them, leave them in a position where they had better get that bullpen ready, because Scherzer hasn't gone too far after returning from an injury.

The good news for Texas is that they have been road warriors in the postseason, winning all eight times they have hit the field, including a four-game sweep in Minute Maid Park, where curiously the Astros weren't even a .500 ballclub this season.

So here we are for Game 3, where Scherzer will be opposed by young Brandon Pfaadt, with a starting time of 8:05 PM ET at Chase Field.

In the World Series betting odds that have been posted on this game by the people at BetOnline, it's a pretty close call:

Texas Rangers (Scherzer - R) -110
Arizona Diamondbacks (Pfaadt - R) +100

Over 9 Runs -120
Under 9 Runs +100

Rangers -1.5 Runs +145
D-Backs +1.5 Runs -165

The Rangers would love for Scherzer to be able to rear back and give them one of those performances that evoke the Max of old; the Max who has won three Cy Young Awards and is going to the Hall of Fame someday. But he simply has not been effective since he came off the injured list, having sat for about a month with a shoulder ailment.

Scherzer, who as you may recall began the season (along with Justin Verlander) as part of the New York Mets staff, has complied a record of 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA between the two leagues this season.

In two playoff appearances, has pitched just 6-2/3 innings, during which time he has allowed seven runs. He was actually the Game 7 starter against Houston in the ALCS, but manager Bruce Bochy did not let him get out of the third inning. If he is able to show some of his old stuff, he'd be doing his team a big favor by saving them some bullpen innings. But is that too much to ask at this point?

Pfaadt was 3-9 with a 5.72 ERA in the regular season, but he seems to be finding himself in the playoffs. Well, he found himself after an erratic 2-2/3 innings against Milwaukee in his postseason debut. But in these last three outings - and that includes the Game 7 NLCS win over Philadelphia - he has allowed two runs on eight hits in 14 innings. He won't go too far into the game; he hasn't had a decision since September 27.

But while he's lasted, he's been pretty good. If you are going to handicap the two pitchers, you probably need to take a look at the five-inning prop. And while we acknowledge the road prowess of Texas of late, we have a hard time throwing our support behind Scherzer under those parameters. So we will hopefully get Pfaadt and happy, at -110.

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