ARLINGTON -- Cristian Javier waited patiently near the back of a windowless Globe Life Field room on Tuesday afternoon, listening as teammate Martín Maldonado described the Astros pitcher¡¯s icy, stoic demeanor: ¡°You don¡¯t see any blood going through his veins.¡±

Then, as if to prove his statement, Maldonado pressed his index and middle fingers to Javier¡¯s neck. Maldonado grinned; with Houston down 2-0 in the American League Championship Series, the right-hander known as ¡°El Reptil¡± is exactly who they want and need to take the ball.

¡°I feel good with that nickname,¡± Javier said through an interpreter. ¡°Crocodiles seem like they're calm. But when they get in the water, they can get aggressive.¡±

That was certainly the case a week ago in Minneapolis, where Javier quieted a raucous Target Field audience of more than 41,000 in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, permitting just one hit over five scoreless innings. Backed by a four-run first inning, Javier proved unflappable; the crowd even tried chanting along with the pitch timer, an effort that prompted no response.

¡°That¡¯s just something that¡¯s always been within me,¡± Javier said. ¡°That¡¯s not really something I¡¯ve worked on in the past. My job is to go out there and not let the game speed up on me, and just try to stay relaxed.¡±

Though Javier¡¯s command was hardly pinpoint against the Twins, issuing five walks and hitting a batter, he struck out nine behind his disappearing ¡°Invisiball¡± heater and a slider that seemed to dive through the late-afternoon shadows.

No wonder Maldonado and the Astros remain confident.

¡°We¡¯ve got Javier going, one of our best starters, especially when we need a win,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°He throws a good pitch at any time; good fastball, good slider. Attacks the hitters. There¡¯s no moment too big for him. That¡¯s why I think we¡¯re going to be really good [in Game 3].¡±

Coming off an up-and-down performance in the regular season, when Javier posted a 10-5 record and 4.56 ERA in 31 starts, the 26-year-old re-established himself down the stretch. Including the playoff outing against Minnesota, Javier has pitched to a 2.45 ERA across his five most recent starts, with 36 strikeouts.

¡°That¡¯s exactly who we want going for us tomorrow. He¡¯s been pitching awesome lately,¡± said outfielder Chas McCormick. ¡°If we can get ¡®good Javier¡¯ tomorrow, we¡¯re in great shape. We just need to win one tomorrow and we¡¯re back in the driver¡¯s seat.¡±

Through his brief October career, Javier has shone in assignments as a starter, short reliever and long reliever. Including six electric innings in last year¡¯s combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series against the Phillies, Javier has won each of his three postseason starts, firing 16 1/3 scoreless frames. Over that span, he has faced 61 batters and yielded just two hits.

Only Christy Mathewson (28 IP), Joe Niekro (18), Ian Anderson (17 2/3), and Jim Lonborg (17) have posted longer scoreless-inning streaks as a starter to begin their postseason careers.

¡°Like always, I just try and go out there to do the best of my ability,¡± Javier said. ¡°I always put it in God¡¯s hand and let him be the one to guide us.¡±

There¡¯s never a bad time to reference a World Series no-hitter, with last year¡¯s gem representing the first since Don Larsen¡¯s perfect game in the 1956 Fall Classic, but Houston¡¯s deficit makes it timely. The Astros were down 2-1 in the series when Javier, Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly made history in Philadelphia, sparking their surge to a championship.

¡°We¡¯ve been in this situation before, down in the series,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°We¡¯re taking it one game at a time.¡±