Numbers to know to enjoy Game 3

Starting Pitchers

Sanchez

• Jonathan Sanchez(notes) likes to live on the wild side with his major league leading 96 walks this season. But in typical "Giants Torture" fashion, Sanchez has a knack for coming out of stressful situations unscathed. Take his performance with multiple runners on base, for example: opponents batted just .149 against Sanchez when they had more than one runner on base this season.

• Watch whether Rangers hitters chase his high fastball. Hitters have been inclined to help Sanchez by swinging at his fastball above the zone 24 percent of the time. In his most recent start -- a two-inning dud in NLCS Game 6, the Phillies chased just one of his heaters up out of the zone.

Lewis

• Colby Lewis(notes) has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start since September 4. He has been dominant in that timeframe, setting down 21% of batters faced via the strikeout in 4 or less pitches. That’s far better than league average (12%) and Lewis’s own rate (14%) up to that point in the season.

• The Giants lineup will likely feature at least 4 right-handed batters against Lewis, and they will look to be the first right-handed batters to log a hit off of his fastball this month. Opposing RHB’s have seen 55 fastballs (including his cut fastball) in October from the Texas starter, with 0 hits against the pitch.

Giants hitters who match up well vs. Lewis

Andres Torres(notes)

Andres Torres is a .784 slugger on hitter’s counts (.561 league average). Opponents are slugging .585 with 16 extra-base hits when Lewis is behind in the count.

Pablo Sandoval(notes)

The Giants can finally insert Kung Fu Panda back into the lineup against the right-hander, Lewis, who likes to mix his fastball and cutter. Sandoval has a .540 slugging percentage since 2009 against right-handed four-seam and cut fastballs.

Giants hitters who could struggle

Juan Uribe(notes)

Right-handed hitters have chased a league high 47 percent of out-of-zone breaking balls from Lewis. Free-swinging Juan Uribe chases righty sliders 37 percent of the time and misses two-thirds of them.

Pat Burrell(notes)

Pat Burrell hits a weak .141 off fastballs in on his hands. Lewis allows just a .170 BA against inside fastballs, and works inside with the heater more than he works away.

Rangers hitters who match up well vs. Sanchez

Michael Young(notes)

Opponents hit Sanchez’s fastball in the air 69 percent of the time (57 percent league average). Michael Young has clubbed 13 home runs off fastballs at home compared to only 5 homers on the road.

Ian Kinsler(notes)

Ian Kinsler is hitting .455 versus lefties in three-ball counts. Sanchez, who sometimes struggles with control, is no stranger to falling into three-ball counts (22% of batters faced).

Rangers hitters who could struggle

Elvis Andrus(notes)

Elvis Andrus has a .190 Well-Hit Average against left-handers (lowest in the lineup). Leadoff batters have gone hitless versus Sanchez in just under half of his starts this year.

Josh Hamilton(notes)

Hitters swing-and-miss 54 percent of the time on Sanchez’s curveball down in the zone. Josh Hamilton misses 46 percent of the time against low curves from left-handers.

Bullpen

Giants

• Giants relievers have finished off only 60 percent of Rangers batters once they have reached two strikes (73 percent league average) in the first two games of the Series. However, the Giants bullpen has prevented runs by limiting Texas to a .111 BA (1-for-9) after runners have gotten on base.

Rangers

• Inability to command first-pitch strikes contributed to the Texas bullpen’s woeful 18.56 ERA in the first two World Series games. Rangers relievers threw 0-0 strikes to just 53 percent of batters (59 percent league average). The Giants are 6-for-11 (.545) with four walks against the Texas bullpen when they start from a 1-0 count.

Hitters

Hamilton

• Josh Hamilton blasted three home runs in the ALCS by working into favorable counts and looking for a fastball up in the zone. Giants pitchers spoiled his approach in the first two World Series games by keeping the ball down. Hamilton has not seen a high heater on a hitter’s count, going 0-for-3.

Guerrero

• Vladimir Guerrero(notes) is overdue for a big hit or two. He hit the ball hard in 13 of his 49 at-bats in the postseason but got only three extra-base hits. Guerrero is 1-for-4 with a single so far in the World Series.

Huff

• Aubrey Huff(notes) has struggled to reach balls up in the zone, going 0-for-10 with two strikeouts versus high pitches in the playoffs. It’s the opposite for Huff in the bottom of the zone, where he’s hitting .429 (9-for-21).

Renteria

• A .276 hitter during the regular season, Edgar Renteria(notes) has heated up at the right time. He’s 3-for-7 in the World Series with a home run. Texas pitchers are pounding him inside with fastballs, but Renteria done a good job of fighting them off, and popped a home run on an inside heater in Game 2.