The Tampa Bay Rays are on the verge of a World Series berth. Tuesday night the Rays took advantage of a Jose Altuve error and rode their stellar defense to a Game 3 win over the Houston Astros (TB 5, HOU 2). Tampa holds a commanding 3-0 series lead. They can clinch the American League pennant as soon as Wednesday night.

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It is never just one hero with the Rays. Joey Wendle and Hunter Renfroe had two-run base hits during the team's five-run sixth inning in Game 3, and five relievers held the Astros scoreless for four innings. The Rays have allowed only five runs in their last four games, with four coming on solo home runs. Extended rallies against this team are impossible.

Here are five takeaways from Game 3.

Altuve made another crucial error
Altuve's throwing is a capital-P Problem for the Astros. He made a throwing error on a routine play in the first inning of Game 2 -- his throw short-hopped Yuli Gurriel at first base -- that extended the inning and led to Manuel Margot swatting a three-run homer.

In Game 3 on Tuesday, Altuve made another back-breaking error, this time throwing a potential 4-6-3 double play ball into left field. I'm not certain the Astros turn the double play with Brandon Lowe running, but they definitely should've had the lead runner at second. Instead, nothing.

The Rays capitalized on Altuve's error because of course they did. When it was all said and done, Tampa put five runs on the board in the sixth inning to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead. Here is Altuve's error and the ensuing rally:

Altuve made zero throwing errors during the regular season, so either he forgot how to throw at some point these last three weeks (i.e. developed the yips), or he's nursing an injury that is affecting his throwing. For what it's worth, neither Altuve nor the Astros have said anything about an injury.

For Houston, the easy solution is putting Altuve at DH moving forward, with Aledmys Diaz taking over at second base. Diaz was at DH in Game 3.

Tampa is making every play
It's bordering on comical at this point. While Altuve struggles to make routine throws, the Rays are making exceptional plays left and right. The Tampa defense has stifled the Astros in the ALCS and they made several more great plays in Game 3. Check it out:

Alex Bregman in particular has felt the wrath of the Rays' defense. He put seven balls in play in Games 2-3 and six were very well-struck. The exit velocities: 106.8, 99.5, 103.0, 103.1, 98.4, 96.3, 82.2. All outs. Every single one. Hit the ball hard and good things usually happen. Not for Bregman in the ALCS though.

The Rays ranked fifth in baseball with 24 Defensive Runs Saved during the regular season and, based on these last few nights, that feels incredibly low. They've been spectacular. They're catching everything, snuffing out rallies, and saving their pitchers pitches.

Arozarena is making history
Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena has been the breakout star of the postseason. He went 4 for 8 in Tampa's Wild Card Series sweep over the Blue Jays, hit three home runs against the Yankees in the ALDS, and is now wrecking the Astros in the ALCS. Arozarena went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk in Game 3. He has great fashion sense too: