The New York Yankees are looking to take the lead in the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
Tied 1-1 entering Wednesday night's Game 3, the series will now take place in at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City for the next two games.
As the Yankees move forward with Clarke Schmidt on Wednesday night, the Royals will counter with All-Star right-hander Seth Lugo.
Tied for the Major League lead with 33 starts this season, Lugo posted a 16-9 record along with a 3.00 ERA and 1.089 WHIP. His 4.7 fWAR ranked sixth among all starting pitchers and was third in the American League — a tick below teammate Cole Ragans (4.9).
Lugo faced the Yankees twice this season. He went 7.0 innings in both outings but was 1-1 on the season.
During his June 10 start in Kansas City, he allowed eight hits, four runs (all earned) and one walk while striking out four. The Yankees won the game 4-2 behind a strong start from Carlos Rodon.
His next outing against the Yankees was far better. Three months later at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10, Lugo again went 7.0 innings, allowing three hits, no runs and no walks while striking out 10 batters. The Yankees lost that game 5-0 with Marcus Stroman on the mound.
Lugo's repertoire features just about every pitch imaginable. He relies mostly on a four-seamer (24%), sinker (18.5%) and curveball (16.1%), according to Baseball Savant. However, he also mixes in a slurve (10.2%), slider (9.5%), cutter (8.2%), changeup (6.9%), sweeper (4%) and split-finger (2.6%).
The Yankees need to avoid going down in the series while still on the road, and they'll face a stiff challenge as the Royals lean on their ace.
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