Game 3 in Atlanta features Houston rookie Garcia vs the Braves Anderson. In three post season starts, Garcia bombed in the first two, lasting only 3+ innings and allowing 10 runs. He then pitched into the 6th allowing 1 hit and no runs. Some work was done on his mechanics before his last start and it appears to have been very successful. Garcia’s velocity was up, and all of his pitches were very sharp.

Anderson has also started 3 games in the post season. His first start against the light-hitting Brewers was his best one. Against the Dodgers, who hit almost as well as the Astros, he allowed a combined 3 runs over 7 innings. Anderson in his brief time in the MLB has a history of strong performance in the playoffs.

Both bullpens have been heavily used, more than 5 innings per start, but the Astros’ has performed much better, with an ERA of 2.67 as compared to a 4.03 ERA.

The Astros are a solid road team, and very strong against the right. Both teams were poor in interleague match-ups this year, in particular the Braves. The Braves have a winning home record but they are not as overpowering as many teams are at home.

While both teams have potent offenses, the Astros hitters are dominating the postseason offensive stats.

It is a crap shoot which starter will perform better, but all starters are on a short leash. I favor the Astros on Friday. They have just too much batting muscle at the moment, and with the recent showing of their bullpen, I think they will prevail. Take the Astros to win.