HOUSTON -- Hitters in the American League West don't get much of a break when it comes to facing dominating pitching. From former AL Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel in Houston to Japanese star Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim and up-and-coming lefty Sean Manaea in Oakland, the quality arms are deep.
Of course, every good pitcher has his bread-and-butter pitch, his go-to choice to produce bad swings and long walks back to the dugout by opposing hitters. How and when the best pitchers in the AL West use their fiercest pitches is a well-crafted science.