McHugh to start for Astros in Game 1 of ALDS

The Houston Astros will hand the ball to 28-year-old Collin McHugh when they open Game 1 of the ALDS on the road against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.

After ace Dallas Keuchel tossed six shutout innings to pick up the win over the New York Yankees in the wild-card game Tuesday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch tasked McHugh with taking the ball against the team that finished with the best record in the AL.

McHugh has certainly earned the right to open the series for the wild-card winners. The right-hander went 19-7 with a 3.89 ERA across 32 starts this season, while striking out 171 in 203 2/3 innings. Pitching on the road, McHugh went 7-4 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 100 innings.

The Royals will counter with Yordano Ventura in the series opener at Kauffman Stadium.