Rangers Ace Says He's 'Ready to Go' Ahead of Astros Matchup

There's a lot of anticipation heading into the matchup between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.

It's the first time these two intrastate rivals have played each other in the MLB Playoffs and the outcome will be used in bragging rights for years to come.

On top of the overall anticipation for this series, there was a looming possibility that Rangers' ace Max Scherzer would return from injury and pitch in the ALCS.

Rosters aren't finalized until Sunday morning, but it seems like he'll be back.

The star right hander told reporters on Friday that he will make his return against the Astros.

"I recovered. I checked all the boxes I possibly can. I’m ready to go. I respect what Houston can do. They’re obviously a great team. I’ve got to bring my A-game," Scherzer said emphatically.

Texas made a big move to acquire the 39-year-old at the trade deadline this season.

With their headliner signing Jacob deGrom out for the year with an injury, the Rangers' front office felt like they needed to get a top-level starter for their playoff push.

Scherzer has been sidelined with an injury of his own since Sept. 13.

This iteration of Houston has only faced the legendary right hander three times.

In those matchups, the Astros have lost two out of three, striking out 22 times.

However, in the most recent meeting, Houston scored seven runs off of Scherzer during three innings on Sept. 6.

Despite having the mantra as a primetime performer, Scherzer has a 7-7 record with a 3.58 ERA across 27 postseason appearances.

The Astros have faced some of the game's best pitchers in the past and have come out on the better end of those matchups multiple times.

They'll need to do the same whenever Scherzer returns to action.