The Cubs and Yankees offer two good pitching match ups in their Wednesday double header. Jason Hammel and Masahiro Tanaka battle in the afternoon, while Travis Wood and Michael Pineda highlight the nightcap. Hammel is showing good control early this season, with 11 K in 13 innings compared to just two walks. Tanaka’s walks and strikeouts are in line with his Japanese career, but MLB hitters have taken him deep twice so far. He was better at keeping the ball in the park in Japan.

Wood brings a 2.92 ERA into the game thanks to 17 K in 12 1/3 innings. He’s never come close to a strikeout per inning in his previous seasons, let alone 1 1/2. Pineda might come under some scrutiny after he had too much pine tar on his hand during his last start. Given how well these four miss bats, expect a lot of breezes coming from the batters box today.

The battle of the day takes place in Texas, however, where Felix Hernandez takes on Yu Darvish. Both aces started the season strong. Hernandez won his first three starts, posting a 2.11 ERA along the way. He’s averaging ten K per start. Darvish has yet to allow a run this season. He still blows away batters, but walked just two in 15 innings this season.

Enjoy!