Following a 1-1 split in Arlington, Texas, the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers head to St. Petersburg for Game 3 of the ALDS. The Rays smoked the Rangers 9-0 in Game 1 and got off to a 3-0 lead in Game 2, but Texas was able to pull off a home split, thanks to a rough fourth inning for James Shields in Game 2. The talented starter allowed five runs in that inning, putting the Rangers in front for good.

Starting Game 3 for the Rays will be David Price, a player who has struggled badly against Texas in his career. Price is hard to beat for raw talent, but he had a rough September and lost twice to Texas in the playoffs last season. He certainly has the stuff to guide the Rays to victory on Monday night, but he needs to shake off his recent bad form and bad luck.

Game Date/Time: 5:00 P.M. ET, October 3, 2011

Stadium: Tropicana Field,  St. Petersburg, Florida

TV: TBS

Projected starters

Texas: Colby Lewis (14-10, 4.40 ERA)

Tampa Bay: David Price (12-13, 3.49 ERA)

For a Beyond the Boxscore perspective of the game, be sure to check out Bill Petti's preview of the series. Check out our Tampa Bay Rays blog DRaysBay and Texas Rangers blog Lone Star Ball for more Game 3 analysis.