May 21 American League probable pitching matchup capsules

Great pitching matchup Monday night in Seattle as likely AL Rookie of the Year Yu Darvish faces off against former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. Bet on Mariners-Rangers and every game at WagerWeb.com.

Boston at Baltimore – Red Sox RHP Clay Buchholz (4-2, 7.77) vs. Orioles RHP Tommy Hunter (2-2, 4.78): Buchholz’s earned-run numbers are starting to return to normalcy: two runs his last time out, three the one before that. Last game, against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, he struck out five while walking just one. Still, he has the Majors’ highest ERA. … Hunter was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on May 7, but returned to start on May 10 and then solidified his spot in the rotation by giving up only two runs in seven innings against the Royals on Wednesday.

Kansas City at NY Yankees – Royals RHP Felipe Paulino (1-1, 1.93) vs. Yankees RHP Hiroki Kuroda (3-5, 4.50): In his third start, Paulino worked seven shutout innings against the Orioles in what became a 15-inning, 4-3 loss. He racked up nine strikeouts against the O’s and has 21 K’s in 18 2/3 innings against five walks, indicating good command. … Kuroda, who fell 3-5 on the season with a loss to the Blue Jays in his last outing, draws the Royals next. The 37-year-old righty will welcome a start at home, where he’s 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA this year.

Toronto at Tampa Bay – Jays RHP Kyle Drabek (3-4, 3.30) vs. Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-0, 2.77): Drabek used a refined two-seamer to great success during his last start against New York. Drabek had experienced difficulty throwing it for strikes but a higher catching target allowed him to keep the ball out of the dirt and just one earned run. … Hellickson had a strong outing against the Red Sox Wednesday night, when he allowed one run on five hits, walking one and striking out six to earn his fourth win of the season. He is 2-0 with a 3.93 ERA in three career starts against the Blue Jays.

LA Angels at Oakland – Angels RHP Jerome Williams (4-1, 3.86) vs. A’s LHP Tommy Milone (5-3, 4.09): Williams pitched down in the zone a lot more frequently against the White Sox on Wednesday, inducing a lot of ground balls, which allowed him to surrender just two runs despite giving up 10 hits. … Milone is perfect at home, where he’s compiled a 3-0 record and a Major League-best 0.39 ERA. The lefty most recently pitched seven strong innings in Texas, allowing a two-run homer to Adrian Beltre, but otherwise keeping the potent Rangers in check.

Texas at Seattle – Rangers RHP Yu Darvish (6-1, 2.60) vs. Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (3-3, 3.02): Darvish is 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA in his past two starts after a 4-1 victory over the A’s on Wednesday. He has held opponents to a .222 batting average for the season, including .184 with runners in scoring position. He’s averaging 10 K’s per game. … Hernandez is coming off one of the worst outings of his career after giving up eight runs (six earned) with 10 hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings at Cleveland. Now he faces a Texas team that often gives him trouble (10-16, 4.03 ERA in 32 starts).

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