After getting blown out in the first two games, the Texas Rangers returned to Arlington and took Game 3 of the World Series 4-2 last night behind solid pitching and a couple of long balls. Colby Lewis got the start for Texas, and looked sharp from the beginning not allowing a hit until the fourth inning and tossing six full frames before giving up a run. On the night, he allowed both of the Giants runs and worked 7.2 innings to earn the win and get the Rangers back in it.

The Rangers got on the board first in the second inning with a three-run shot from Mitch Moreland. In a Rangers lineup filled with star power, Moreland has spent most of the playoffs as the forgotten man but got the home fans riled up with his blast. So far this series, Moreland has been Texas’ best hitter, batting an even .500.

The Rangers got another homerun off Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez in the fifth inning. Josh Hamilton hit a solo shot and one batter later Sanchez was out of the game. Sanchez had a rough outing, working just 4.2 innings and allowed four earned runs.

Colby Lewis and the Rangers bullpen took the early lead and shut the Giants down most of the night. Lewis allowed both Giants runs, solo homeruns in the seventh and eighth innings, but was fantastic overall on the night. He fanned six batters while allowing just five hits and two walks.

While NLCS MVP Cody Ross and Andres Torres hit the homers, no Giants had a multi-hit game. Elvis Andrus and Michael Young each had a pair of hits for the Rangers, but neither was driven in as the heart of the Rangers order was relatively quiet with the exception of Hamilton’s solo shot.

Darren O’Day recorded the final out of the eighth inning and Neftali Feliz dominated the ninth with two strikeouts to record the save.

The Giants bullpen also pitched well on the night, as Guillermo Mota, Jeremy Affeldt and Ramon Ramirez combined to work 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday Night at 7:00 PM (ET). Giants’ rookie Madison Bumgarner (1-0, 3.55) will oppose the Rangers Tommy Hunter (0-1, 6.14). Earlier today Ron Washington said that Hunter would pitch game three regardless of the result tonight. His other option would be to start ace Cliff Lee on short rest which would also make Lee available to start Game 7 on short rest.

Both the Yankees and Phillies were down 2-1 in the League Championship series and opted to start their fourth pitcher instead of going with their ace on short rest. Both of those teams lost Game Four and eventually the series so it will interesting to see if the Rangers follow the same pattern.

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Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

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