Texas hosts World Series Game 3 Saturday

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The World Series, dominated to this point by pitching and defense, resumes Saturday with the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals having one win apiece.

For the first time in 11 years, the opening two games of the World Series have both been decided by one run.

Game 3 -- set to begin at 8:05 p.m. EDT Saturday on the Rangers' home field -- is expected to be played in 70-degree temperatures. A 20 percent chance of rain is in the forecast.

The Cardinals will send Kyle Lohse to the mound in hopes he can regain the form that brought him a 14-8 record in the regular season. Lohse has lost both of his playoff starts this year with an ERA of 7.45.

Texas will counter with Matt Harrison, who is 1-0 with a 4.22 ERA in two post-season starts. His last appearance came in Game 5 of the ALCS, in which he allowed Detroit two runs in five innings.

The opening two games have provided few runs, but lots of drama. There have been eight runs scored in 18 innings of baseball and only five players have had more than one hit during the first two contests.

Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz and St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols, the MVPs of the league championship series, have combined for one hit in 12 at-bats. That hit belongs to Cruz, who hit six home runs in the ALCS against Detroit.

Josh Hamilton and Michael Young, batting third and fourth in the Texas order, have teamed to go 1-for-14. Despite their problems producing hits, they both had a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning on Thursday in rallying Texas to a 2-1 win.

Texas will host the fourth and fifth games of the series as well. The action would then move back to St. Louis for the sixth and seventh games if they are needed.