Rangers left-hander Cole Hamels' personal American League meet-and-greet resumes Friday against the Mariners.
Hamels, making his second start since Texas acquired him at the trade deadline, continues to learn the ins and outs of pitching against a lineup that includes a DH, the Dallas Morning News reported.
MORE: How does Mike Trout compare to MLB legends? | Jon Stewart's 10 best Mets moments
The biggest difference?
“You’re facing another guy that can hit 40 homers,” Hamels said. “You just have to be careful. It’s all about executing pitches.”
Hamels faced the visiting Giants in his first start, going 7 2/3 innings and allowing five earned runs on eight hits.
During 10 seasons with the Phillies, Hamels went 106-75 with a 3.14 ERA against National League clubs.
Although it's a small sample, in his decade as a Phillie, Hamels was 3-7 with a 5.77 ERA in 14 road starts against AL teams when they were using the DH.
For context, the Morning News offered these numbers: Hamels, while with the Phillies and facing NL lineups, allowed a .254 average to the No. 7 hitter, and the average dropped to .219 by the No. 8 hitter and .126 by the No. 9 hitter, usually the opposing pitcher.
In addition to a growing relationship with his Rangers catchers, Hamels says he'll get better as he grows familiar with opposing hitters. There's also the benefit a pitcher derives from his own DH.
“Here (in the AL), you get to focus more on actually pitching,” Hamels said of not hitting. “And that’s my job, to be the best pitcher I can possibly be.”
