2 Duds (and 1 Stud) From Rangers' Game 3 Loss to Astros

The Texas Rangers tasted defeated for the first time in Game 3 of the ALCS. A disastrous start by Max Scherzer in his return put Texas in an early hole, and despite the best efforts of stud third baseman Josh Jung, the Rangers' offense simply couldn't muster enough scoring to keep up with the Houston Astros.

Schcerzer and Jung, unsurprisingly, make the list of studs and duds from Texas' side in Game 3.

Rangers Studs and Duds ALCS Game 3

Dud: Max Scherzer

Yeesh. Scherzer's long-awaited return to the mound went exactly the opposite way fans were hoping.

Houston got an early jump on the former Cy Young winner, drawing two walks (one via HBP) to put runners on first and second. A single gave the Astros their first run, and Scherzer added to his own bleeding by committing a wild pitch that pushed his team into a 2-0 deficit. Another single after that led to a three-run second inning.

Unfortunately, things didn't stop there. The eight-time All-Star then gave up a home run in the third and another RBI single in the fourth before his day mercifully ended.

This was the absolute worst timing for a Rangers starter to struggle on the mound, as almost no one was able to get anything going offensively. Texas' pitching crew after Scherzer certainly didn't help makes things better, giving up another three runs, but the righty's poor outing definitely gave the Astros momentum to keep the foot on the gas when he exited the contest.

In hindsight, it's worth wondering if throwing Scherzer into the fire like this after more than a month off was the right choice by manger Bruce Bochy.