With their seasons on the line, the Rangers and Royals will turn to two veterans in Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto, respectively. The Blue Jays and Astros will respond with two lesser-known, but highly capable names in Marcus Stroman and Collin McHugh.
Though it may seem as though it could be a mismatch on paper with the experienced Hamels and Cueto taking on two pitchers that are getting their first taste of the playoffs in 2015, it may not quite go as expected.
Stroman has the brashness to be unfazed by the playoff spotlight and his arsenal may actually be better than Hamels, while McHugh has had the pedigree this season to go up against a struggling Cueto. Here's a deeper look into both of these pitchers.
Former Braves Great Rooting For Mets In Playoffs
Marcus Stroman
The Long Island, N.Y. native may only be 5-foot-8 and may have only been drafted in the 18th round of the MLB Draft in 2009, but since returning from an ACL tear, he's shown the world what he can do. Stroman, 24, who once set a Duke University record by fanning 290 batters in 222 innings went 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in four starts after his injury.
In Game 2, Stroman allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in seven innings in a no-decision in his playoff debut. The young right-hander is relied on so heavily by Toronto that the Blue Jays opted to start him over David Price in hopes his knack for giving up groundballs will keep the Rangers offense off the board.
Collin McHugh
After struggling with the Mets and again with the Rockies, his ERA reaching as high as 10.29 in 2013, McHugh has come into his own in Houston, thanks mostly to his curveball. McHugh showed flashes of his potential in his MLB debut, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out nine for the Mets, but he didn't fully blossom until having a career year with Houston in 2014 after being claimed off waivers.
The right-hander went 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA this season and held the Royals to two runs on four hits in six innings in his first career playoff start in Game 1. Facing Cueto, who has struggled in the AL (4-7, 4.76) since being traded to the Royals and has had problems in the playoffs (0-2, 5.52) could give McHugh and the Astros the edge.
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