Houston Astros: Preview of Opening Series in New York

GAME 2 – Collin McHugh vs. Michael Pineda

Collin McHugh holds Yankees hitters to an even lower combined batting average of .143.  Last year’s 19 game winner for Houston looks to build off an incredible second half of the season. Last season, pre-All Star break, McHugh was 9-5 with a 4.50 ERA, after the All-Star break he caught fire, going 10-2 with a 3.11 ERA. If McHugh’s breaking ball is on, and can throw it for strikes, he can make quick work of the best lineups in baseball. McHugh started two games against New York last year, earning wins in both and giving up only 3 earned runs in 14.1 innings.

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Michael Pineda is a 27-year-old pitcher out of the Dominican Republic. He has shown some electric talent, but thus far has also proved to be very inconsistent, which is common among young pitchers. Pineda was the polar opposite to McHugh as he did well in the first half of the season with a 3.64 ERA, and a poor 5.80 ERA after the break. This spring he has been untouchable, so if the trend continues, we could be in for a pitcher’s duel for game two.

Next: GAME 3 – Mike Fiers vs Luis Severino/TBA