Major League Baseball

2022 World Series: Ben Verlander's keys to Astros-Phillies Game 3

Updated Nov. 5, 2022 7:41 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — Halloween might be over, but baseball fans are in store for a terrific treat as World Series is set to resume Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies are knotted at 1-1 after two thrilling contests, and though Game 3 (8:03 p.m., FOX and the FOX Sports App) of the potential seven-game slate is not a must-win for either team, it represents a crucial juncture in the fray. In the past 18 World Series that were tied at one game apiece, the Game 3 victor has gone on to claim the Commissioner's Trophy 14 times.

Here are FOX Sports' Ben Verlander's keys to victory for each team.

Houston Astros

1. Get to the Phillies bullpen

While the top of Philly's rotation has been stout all year, the team generally experiences a steep decline in effectiveness when it looks toward its bullpen. In the 2022 regular season, the Phillies' bullpen ranked 23rd in the MLB with a 4.27 ERA (531.2 IP). Despite their regular-season struggles, their relief troops have been far more convincing in the postseason, registering a 2.65 ERA in 51 innings pitched.

Keys for Game 3

Ben Verlander and Alex Curry explain their keys to Game 3 of the World Series for both the Phillies and Astros.

This improvement has trickled into the Fall Classic, as Houston has failed to score on the Phils' bullpen through its first two games. The group has tossed 8.2 scoreless innings through Games 1 and 2.

2. Lance McCullers Jr. must throw curves for strikes

Since returning to the mound following a forearm strain that kept him sidelined for four months, McCullers has relied heavily upon his off-speed arsenal, and the curve has been his best option when slowing the pace.

Nineteen of his 50 strikeouts (38.0%) in the regular season were on his curveball, while opponents sported a meager .116 batting average against McCullers' curve during the regular season.

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Ranger Suárez pitches deep into the game

When Suárez goes deep into ballgames, the Phillies' chances improve exponentially. The squad went 9-4 in the regular season when he went over six innings, and just 8-8 in starts that he was pulled from prior to the sixth.

Houston knows this theme all too well. When Suárez faced the ‘Stros in the regular season’s penultimate game, he lasted just three innings and allowed six earned runs (the Astros dominated the affair, 10-0). How Suárez starts matters. The Phillies haven't allowed a run in the first inning in 11 of their 13 games this postseason (9-2 record in those 11 games).

2. Hit McCullers’ curve up in the zone

As mentioned earlier, McCullers' curve is his bread and butter, and when it's working, it's nearly unhittable. McCullers threw the fourth-lowest percentage of fastballs (24.5%) among starting pitchers with at least 40 innings during the regular season.

He's a master at coaxing swings-and-misses, but that's generally when breaking off a curve low in the strike zone, or occasionally in the dirt. Hanging curves up in the zone are another story, and Philadelphia has a slew of sluggers who thrive with the high pitch.

Like his opponent, a sturdy start will be crucial for McCullers, as the Astros are 7-3 in the playoffs when he pitches four-plus innings.