Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

It's not easy to win a playoff game on the road in any sport, and when the opposing home team is playing with their backs against the wall, allowing them to catch momentum can wreak havoc for at least one game. The Astros found this out on Monday when the Rays bludgeoned Zack Greinke and Houston's relievers in the 10-3 game that forced a Game 4.

With the Yankees punching their ticket on Monday night by sweeping the Twins, the Astros will look to join them by clinching the ALDS win on Tuesday. Here is a quick preview of the game:

Game Facts

When: Tuesday, 6:07 p.m Central.

Where: Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Florida.

TV: FS1.

Streaming: Fox Sports App.

Pitching matchup: Justin Verlander vs. Diego Castillo.

Series: HOU leads 2-1.

Series schedule

	Date & Time (Central)	Location	Pitching matchup
Game 1	Astros 6, Rays 2	Minute Maid Park, Houston	Verlander (W) vs. Glasnow (L)
Game 2	Astros 3, Rays 1	Minute Maid Park, Houston	Cole (W) vs. Snell (L)
Game 3	Rays 10, Astros 3	Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg	Greinke (L) vs Morton (W)
Game 4	Tuesday 10/8, 6:07 PM	Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg	Justin Verlander vs. Diego Castillo
Game 5*	Thursday 10/10, TBD	Minute Maid Park, Houston	Gerrit Cole+ vs. TBD

* If necessary.
+ Projected starter

Game Storylines

Verlander wants the ball to finish the series

While Houston carried Jose Urquidy on the ALDS roster as a possible fourth starter in the rotation, it appears that Justin Verlander has managed to win over A.J. Hinch to start Game 4 on short rest. You surely can't say no to Verlander if he says he's ready, and putting him on the mound in a potential series-clinching game, even on three-days rest, puts you in prime position to finish things off.

Still, It will be intriguing to see not only how sharp Verlander will be, but also for how long. A benefit to playing from behind with a significant deficit in Game 3 for the Astros is that they did not have to use their strongest bullpen arms in Ryan Pressly, Will Harris, or Roberto Osuna. If Verlander can get through five to six innings and turn the ball over to those guys with a lead, the Astros will have a great chance. However, if things go sideways and Game 4 is lost, then the Astros will be forced to use Gerrit Cole in Game 5, putting their rotation out of sync for the ALCS, should they make it. It shapes up to be a pivotal game for Verlander and his teammates.

Bullpen day for the Rays

While Houston will send their ace to the mound, the Rays will elect to put together a bullpen day to try and stave off elimination for one more game and force a decisive Game 5. Tampa Bay's bullpen is formidable, so it will not be an easy task for the Astros to power past them. That being said, a bullpen day exposes more arms to Houston's potent lineup, and it only takes one pitcher having a bad day for the Astros to take advantage and put up several runs.

To do so, they'll need their key guys in the top of the order like George Springer (0-for-13 this series) and Michael Brantley (2-for-12 this series) to break out of their slumps and back up Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman who have provided some of the biggest moments at the plate so far.

Be sure to check SportsMap after the final out for an in-depth recap of the game, and follow me on Twitter for updates and reactions throughout each playoff game: @ChrisCampise

The Astros playoff report is presented by APG&E.

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Listen Live

Texas hosts Clemson on Dec. 21. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The winner of the Clemson-Texas first-round game on Dec. 21 will play No. 10 Arizona State in the Jan. 1 Peach Bowl in Atlanta in the CFP quarterfinals.

For Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who is from Austin, Texas, the game will be a homecoming.

“We recruited him hard," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Sunday, calling Klubnik “a winner. He will do whatever it takes to put his team in position to be successful.”

Added Sarkisian: “When he made the decision to go to Clemson, honestly I wasn’t surprised. Both his parents went to (Texas) A&M.”

Klubnik applauded the announcement of the game at Texas for Clemson's seventh CFP appearance.

“For him to be going to his first playoff in Austin, Texas, where he grew up, you can’t make that up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Pretty cool opportunity for him and his family to go compete against Texas there in Austin.”

Swinney said his only visit to the Texas stadium was to watch Klubnik play in a high school playoff game.

“We’ve never played Texas or played in that stadium,” Swinney said. “... It’s going to be amazing. It’s one of the best venues in college football.”

The Longhorns (11-2) were seeded No. 5 in the CFP following their 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.

Sarkisian said his players were “really excited” to see Texas land the No. 5 seed and have the opportunity to play in the Longhorns' first game against Clemson.

Texas safety Andrew Mukuba is a Clemson transfer. Sarkisian said players already were calling the matchup the “Mukuba Bowl.”

Swinney said: “I love Mukuba. I just love his spirit and love his heart. He was a really neat kid.

“I certainly wish he had been able to finish here. He did everything that was asked of him at Clemson. Made a bunch of big plays.”

Clemson (10-3) beat SMU 34-31 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night to land an automatic CFP berth. The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed. As the fifth-highest ranked league champion, the Tigers do not get a bye and instead must visit Texas.

Arizona State (11-2) earned a bye by rolling over Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The Sun Devils were led by running back Cam Skattebo's 170 rushing yards in their impressive win to cap their first season in the Big 12.

Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan noted the Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12.

“You proved them all wrong,” Stokan told Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.

Arizona State players celebrated the announcement of their No. 4 seed.

Dillingham said he hopes the conference championship and berth in the CFP helps him recruit and continue to build the program.

“Hopefully this stage will help get our branding out there, and show people that we can be one of the newer brands in college football," Dillingham said. "Every 10-15 years a new brand shows up, and a new brand becomes a national brand.”No. 4 Texas will be competing for a return trip to Atlanta when it plays at home against No. 13 Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.