​The Tampa Bay Rays will look to get ahead in a big way, as they once again host the New York Yankees for Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on Monday night. After winning the first game of the series, thanks to an epic start by Drew Rasmussen, both teams will feature their hottest starter on the mound for Game 2. The matchup will consist of American League Cy Young frontrunner Cam Schlitler for the Yankees and Freddy Peralta, who was just awarded the American League Pitcher of the Month for September. This will only be the second time all season Peralta has faced the Yankees and the first time doing it in a Rays uniform. Earlier this year, before the trade deadline, when Peralta was still with the New York Mets, he went 5 innings against the Yankees, allowing 2 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 strikeouts, and a dreadful 6 walks.However, the Rays have changed his mechanics and pitch usage, and his performance has excelled since arriving in Tampa Bay. Peralta has increased his changeup usage from 13% to 30% across his 10 starts with Tampa Bay compared to where he was with the Mets organization. He has also increased his curveball usage, especially early in the count, to try and steal strikes. With Game 1 ending 1-0, elite pitching will once again be needed on both sides. As for the Yankees, Cam Schlitler has been one of the best pitchers in baseball all year. In just his second full season in the majors, the 25-year-old has reached milestones that have hardly ever been seen, let alone in a Yankees uniform, but across baseball. His 1.95 ERA is the third-best in Yankees history for any starting pitcher. He also set a franchise record for strikeouts by a pitcher 25 or younger, with 239 on the year. He’s coming off a dominant start in the American League Wild Card Series, where he threw 6.1 shutout innings and struck out 10 Boston Red Sox hitters. This will be the fourth time Schlitler has gone up against the Rays this season, and he has earned every type of statistic you possibly can for a pitcher. He was 1-1, as well as a no decision, across his three starts. His most recent was on September 24, where he received no decision after a short three-inning start where he gave up one earned run and struck out five in the outing. This will certainly be a pivotal game, especially if the Rays can get a 2-0 lead before allowing this series to return to Yankee Stadium for the first time in the ALDS. Game 2 is scheduled for 8 pm Eastern on Monday night.