MLB Player News

Pivetta (2-0) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings in a win over the Braves on Sunday.

The Boston rotation was brutal all season long, but Pivetta provided a glimmer of hope for the future with his performance after getting called up from the alternate site. Pivetta allowed just two earned runs on eight hits while posting a 13:5 K:BB in his two starts with the Red Sox (10 innings). He had a 15.88 ERA in his first three appearances before coming over from Philadelphia in an August trade.

Lopez (1-3) allowed six runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 1.1 innings in a loss to the Cubs on Sunday.

The Cubs batted around in the second inning; Kris Bryant and David Bote both homered off Lopez and Billy Hamilton stole home to add insult to (statistical) injury. Lopez attempted to get right at the alternate camp for a couple weeks earlier this month and things were looking better initially upon his return, but this outing washes away most of those gains. He is iffy for the postseason roster, and Lopez may very well be non-tendered in the winter.

Fleming (5-0) tossed six scoreless innings to pick up the win Sunday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out six.

It marked the longest outing of the season for the southpaw, who has served as both a starter and long reliever this season. His six punch outs marked a season high. Fleming finishes the regular season with a perfect 5-0 record to go along with a strong 2.78 ERA. It's unclear when Fleming may pitch next, but he should figure into Tampa Bay's postseason plans in some form.

Karinchak (1-2) pitched a perfect seventh inning with three strikeouts to earn the win Sunday versus the Pirates.

Karinchak whiffed Josh Bell, Bryan Reynolds and Erik Gonzalez in the top of the seventh, and Cleveland rallied for the lead in the bottom half of the frame. The right-handed Karinchak pitched to a 2.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 53:16 K:BB and eight holds in 27 appearances this year. He will likely continue as the setup man to closer Brad Hand in the playoffs.

Hand was perfect over 1.1 innings, striking out one and earning the save Sunday versus the Pirates.

Hand finished 2020 as the MLB saves leader with 16 in 23 appearances. He also recorded a hold, a 2-1 record, 2.05 ERA and 0.77 WHIP across 22 innings. The 30-year-old closer will look to continue his strong campaign for Cleveland during their postseason run.

Colome (back) struck out one and turned in a perfect ninth inning during Saturday's 9-5 win over the Cubs.

Colome didn't qualify for a save since the White Sox entered the inning with a four-run lead, but his 1-2-3 appearance at least offered some assurance of his health after he experienced back spasms in his outing four days earlier. The 31-year-old will head into the playoffs entrenched as Chicago's closer after converting 12 of 13 save chances and submitting an 0.81 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 22.1 innings during the regular season.

Romano (finger) threw 15-20 pitches during a live batting practice session Sunday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The right-hander was throwing 75-to-80 percent during his bullpen sessions last week, but he's progressed to throwing max effort in live BP. Manager Charlie Montoyo said the team will see how Romano checks out Monday before making a decision on his availability for the AL Wild Card Round, which begins Tuesday.

Cimber was recalled from the alternate training site Sunday.

Cimber was included on the Opening Day roster but was demoted to the alternate training site in early September. The right-hander has a 4.22 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 5:1 K:BB across 10.2 innings this season.

Fairbanks (6-3) earned the win Saturday over the Phillies despite allowing a solo home run across an inning of work. He walked a batter and struck out two in the effort.

Fairbanks replaced Ryan Yarbrough in the fifth and allowed the Phillies to retake the lead on an Andrew McCutchen solo home run to left. However, the Rays put up three runs in the bottom of the inning and wiped away any possibility of Fairbanks taking the loss. The 26-year-old has a 2.70 ERA and 39:14 K:BB across 26.2 innings. The Rays have primarily used Fairbanks as an opener this season, but it's currently unclear how they plan to deploy him during the playoffs.

Curtiss allowed one run (zero earned) on three hits across two-thirds of an inning Saturday against the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.

Rays manager Kevin Cash opted to use Curtiss as the team's opener Saturday despite the 27-year-old picking up a save in Friday's series opener. Curtiss allowed consecutive singles to begin the game and was charged with an unearned run after Jean Segura hit a sharp ground ball that forced Yoshi Tsutsugo to make a wild throw to first, which plated a run for the Phillies. The righty owns a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 25:3 K:BB across 25 innings.