The Houston Astros stormed out of the gates with a 7-2 victory ov

er Boston in Game 1 of the ALCS Tyler Flowers Jersey , before the Red Sox evened things up with a 7-5 win on Sunday night.The series now shifts to Houston, with the first pitch of Game 3 scheduled for 5:09 p.m. ET from Minute Maid Park. TBS will have the broadcast.Ahead you'll find a few bold predictions for the game, including the final score. Nathan Eovaldi Continues Boosting his Free-Agent StockNathan EovaldiBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty ImagesAfter missing the 2017 season recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, Nathan Eovaldi returned strong for the Tampa Bay Rays, posting a 4.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 57 innings over 10 starts.That was good enough for the Red Sox to bite at the trade deadline, and he pitched to a 3.33 ERA over 54 innings spanning11 starts and one relief following the trade.He took the ball in Game 3 of the ALDS and tossed a gem in his postseason debut, allowing just five hits and one earned run over seven innings.He again gets the start in Game 3 of the ALCS, and he'll be looking to add a few more zeroes to his upcoming foray into free agency with another strong start.The 28-year-old allowed seven hits and four earned runs in six innings against the Astros back on June 20 when he was still pitching for the Rays. He's 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in two career starts at Minute Maid Park. Jose Altuve Keeps Things CloseElsa/Getty ImagesOff to a quiet 1-for-8 start through two games, look for Jose Altuve to make some noise for the Astros in Game 3.Altuve hit .310/.388/.634 with two doubles, seven home runs and 14 RBI in 80 plate appearances last postseason http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey , and there's a reason he's a career .316/.365/.453 hitter over eight big league seasons.He's simply too good of a hitter to keep quiet all series.The 28-year-old also has strong numbers in his career against Eovaldi, having gone5-for-15 with one double and two home runs. That includes a 3-for-4 performance earlier this season that included a double and a home run.It's a small sample size, and batter vs. pitchers splits can often be attributed more to chance than anything else, but it's still reason enough to call Altuve a player to watch for Houston in Game 3.Look for a multi-hit performance and a long ball, as Eovaldi pitches well, but the Astros are able to keep things close thanks to their offensive spark plug. The Red Sox Take Control of the SeriesMookie BettsMaddie Meyer/Getty ImagesAfter splitting the first two games, there's no question Game 3 will be pivotal in this series.The pitching matchup of Dallas Keuchel and Eovaldi could help keep the offenses quiet in the early going, but don't expect a pitcher's duel.Look for both starters to run into some trouble the second time through the batting order.Eovaldi bends but doesn't break, while the Red Sox put a crooked number on the board in the fifth inning to seize control of the game and the series.Jackie Bradley Jr. delivered the big blow in Game 2 with a three-run double. This time, it's Mookie Betts who gets the job done with a three-run home run that puts Boston up for good.Final Score:Red Sox 6, Astros 2All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference Phil Niekro Jersey , unless otherwise noted. TORONTO — The Philadelphia Phillies need a victory Sunday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre.They need the win to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Blue Jays, who are dawdling in fourth place in the American League East.More important, they must reverse a recent trend that threatens their playoff hopes.Article continues below ...They let a 5-0 lead get away Saturday afternoon and lost 8-6 to the Blue Jays on a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning by Aledmys Diaz.The Phillies, who entered Saturday three games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East, have lost six of their past seven games.“We’re still in a good position to strike,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.The Blue Jays have won five in a row for the first time this season and hold a 4-1 lead in the season series against the Phillies.The Phillies (69-60) will start right-hander Vince Velasquez (8-9, 4.06 ERA) Sunday and the Blue Jays (60-69) will counter with right-hander Marco Estrada (7-9, 4.88).Velasquez has never faced the Blue Jays in the regular season, although he has pitched against them in spring training.Estrada has not pitched against the Phillies in the regular season this year, but in 11 career games (five starts) against them he is 2-1 with a 5.45 ERA.The Phillies have struggled on the road this season, going 28-48 (41-21 at home) and 5-14 in their past 19 games.“I think we maintain the same poise that we have in rough stretches all season http://www.bravesfanproshop.com/authentic-nick-markakis-jersey ,” Kapler said. “I think we’ve had stretches similar to this one. This one has been undoubtedly difficult. but we want to remind our guys how tough we are and how resilient we are, how teams have rough stretches and this by no means does this mean we don’t have the ability to win the National League East.“I think one of the things that we can focus on is the reason this one may be a little bit more challenging is because it takes more energy to be resilient when you’re closer to the end. So it just means that we’re going to need to dig real deep and get that last drop of energy. I believe we have it in us.”While Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was 0-for-3 with a walk Saturday to end his hitting streak at 12 games, the home run streak of Kendrys Morales is alive. He has hit home runs in six consecutive games (for a total of seven) that matches the club record set in 2001 by Jose Cruz Jr.The streak by Morales equals the longest in the majors this season set by Matt Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals on July 14-21.Morales also has a nine-game hitting streak. His batting is .516 (16-for-31) with seven homers and 13 RBIs.“He’s been on a nice little roll now for a while, a good while,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Early in the year, he was chasing a lot of breaking balls, off-speed pitches down in the dirt, down in the zone — that’s what was getting him into trouble. He’s laying off those now and he’s even hitting breaking balls.”Outfielder Billy McKinney hit a two-run homer Saturday and has three homers in his first seven games from the Blue Jays after being called up from Triple-A Buffalo. He was part of the deal that sent left-hander J.A. Happ to the New York Yankees on July 26.McKinney is the first player to combine three homers and nine RBIs in his first seven games with the Blue Jays. Seven others have hit three or more homers in their first seven games with Toronto and Dave Martinez had nine RBIs in his first seven games with the Blue Jays in 2000.