MLB Player News

Manoah (9-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 10-1 rout of the Orioles, allowing one run on one hit and one walk over seven innings. He struck out 10.

The rookie was dominant in his final start of the regular season, firing 60 of 89 pitches for strikes en route to his fourth straight win, and his performance down the stretch has been a big reason why the Jays will head into the season's final day still alive in the wild-card hunt. Manoah has a 3.22 ERA and 127:40 K:BB through 111.2 innings in his first taste of the majors.

Lyles (10-13) allowed one run on two hits and one walk with eight strikeouts through seven innings, picking up the win in Saturday's 7-2 victory over Cleveland.

Entering play, Lyles led the American League in hits and earned runs allowed while also leading all of baseball in home runs conceded. For seven innings you forgot about all of that, as the right-hander carved up Cleveland. Although he does have some unsightly numbers attached to his name, this season was pretty solid for the journeyman. He ate up 180 innings for a rebuilding Texas team and emerged healthy. He might not be flashy, but he figures to have a market when he hits free agency this offseason.

McKenzie (5-9) allowed four runs on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts through four innings, taking the loss in Saturday's 7-2 defeat to the Rangers.

McKenzie battled his command Saturday, issuing the most walks he's allowed since June 12 and finding the zone with just 54 percent of his pitches. All of his runs came via the long ball too, with Willie Calhoun going yard for a solo shot in the first before Jonah Heim smacked a three-run shot in the fourth. McKenzie showed a ton of growth this season, but simply ran out of gas down the stretch. After being virtually unhittable through August and into September (1.76 ERA, 48:5 K:BB through seven starts), the lanky right-hander had a brutal 11.81 ERA and 9:8 K:BB in his last three outings. Still, at just 24 years old, McKenzie has oodles of upside and projects to grow into a more-than-serviceable rotation piece for Cleveland over the next few seasons.

Means (6-9) took the loss Saturday, surrendering seven runs (six earned) on seven hits -- including three home runs -- over three innings in a 10-1 rout at the hands of the Blue Jays. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The southpaw wasn't fooling many hitters, as Means served up homers to Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernandez in the first inning before George Springer took him deep in the second, and two of the other hits off him were doubles. Means will wrap up the regular season with a 3.62 ERA and 134:26 K:BB through 146.2 innings.

Montgomery (6-7) took the loss Saturday as the Yankees were routed 12-2 by the Rays, coughing up seven runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out three.

The lefty served up a three-run shot to Brandon Lowe in the top of the first inning, and it was all downhill from there for both Montgomery and the Yankees. He got the hook after 71 pitches (44 strikes) as New York failed once again to lock up a wild-card spot, and he wraps up the regular season with a 3.83 ERA and 162:51 K:BB through 157.1 innings.

Baz didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 12-2 rout of the Yankees, giving up one run on one hit and two walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out four.

With the Rays already having the best record in the American League locked up, the team elected to give Baz some extra rest ahead of the playoffs -- a strong sign that he'll have a big part to play in Tampa Bay's postseason pitching plans. The young right-hander threw 51 pitches (28 strikes) before exiting, and he wraps up the regular season with a 2.03 ERA and 18:3 K:BB through 13.1 innings in his first taste of the majors.

Cole will not start on short rest Sunday against Tampa Bay, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cole was expected to start in the Yankees' season finale, though Jameson Taillon will take the mound instead. The move also clears the path for Cole to start in either a tiebreaker Monday or wild-card contest Tuesday. If the Yankees don't need to play Monday, he'll conclude the campaign with a 3.23 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 243 strikeouts across 181.1 frames.

Greinke (neck) could pitch in Sunday's season finale against the Athletics, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Manager Dusty Baker indicated in late September that there's a "distinct possibility" that Greinke serves as a reliever during the postseason, but he has a chance to rejoin the club for a tune-up in Sunday's regular-season finale. Jose Urquidy will start Sunday's matchup against Oakland, so the 37-year-old will pitch out of the bullpen if he's ultimately activated.

Taillon (ankle) will start Sunday's season finale against the Rays, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Taillon's status was unclear after he exited Tuesday's start early due to aggravating a prior ankle injury. However, he threw a successful bullpen session Friday and will be ready to start a pivotal final game of the regular season for the Yankees. In his first abbreviated outing since returning from a three-week absence Sept. 28, Taillon allowed one earned run on one hit and a walk while striking out two across 2.1 frames.

German gave up two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out three over 1.1 innings against Tampa Bay on Friday.

The right-hander was activated from the injured list Sept. 22, but Friday marked his first appearance since July 31. The long layoff showed through his control, as German threw only half of his 32 pitches for strikes and walked a pair of batters. The two free passes came back to bite him when Wander Franco brought both runners home on a two-out, ninth-inning single. Given his long layoff and the Yankees' bullpen depth, German's odds of making the team's playoff roster -- should New York qualify for the postseason -- may be quite low.