Altuve is Astros DH vs. Red Sox in ALCS Game 3  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Six-time All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve is a designated hitter for the Houston Astros in the playoffs for the first time.  —  Astros manager A.J. Hinch has Altuve as the DH for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Boston.

Alex Bregman trolls Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi with Instagram post  —  The Astros third baseman, who faces Boston Red Sox starter Nate Eovaldi on Tuesday night, showed a clip on his Instagram account with the Astros hitting three consecutive homers off Eovaldi earlier this year when he was still with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Role players give Astros pop through the lineup, championship edge  —  The dramatic turnaround of the Houston Astros franchise from historically bad — they were the second team in MLB history to have three consecutive seasons of at least 106 losses — to world champions in just five years …

Chris Sale released from hospital, but Red Sox won't say when ace will pitch next in ALCS  —  Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale will be back with his teammates for Game 3 of the AL Championship Series after an overnight stay in a hospital because of a stomach illness.

We dare you not to walk Alex Bregman  —  If Alex Bregman were homering as often as peak Barry Bonds, we wouldn't say the Red Sox were giving him the Barry Bonds treatment.  We'd just say Bregman was hot, or had somehow become as good as Bonds, and that no amount of effort on the part of Red Sox pitchers has been able to stop it.

Miscues, missed opportunities catching up with Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers navigated the 2018 regular season as a persistent enigma.  They were loaded with talent and rich in depth, clearly and significantly superior to the vast majority of their competition.

Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez turns tables on critics with humorous ‘ED’ tweet to fans  —  Humor may be the best medicine for the ailing Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans.  —  Utilityman Enrique Hernandez drew criticism for saying the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium “didn't feel like a playoff game” …