MLB Player News

McCullers pitched four scoreless innings while allowing two hits and two walks Friday against the Rangers. He struck out nine and did not factor into the decision.

The Astros stated before McCullers took the mound Saturday that he'd be on a pitch count heading into the postseason, and they held true to their word. McCullers looked very confident and had all his pitches working effectively as he fanned a season-high nine batters using a combination of the cutter, sinker and knuckle-curve. The 26-year-old finishes the 2020 regular season with a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB across 55 innings and will hope to replicate Saturday's dominant outing in the playoffs.

Dunning was charged with five runs (four earned) on three hits over three innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Saturday. He struck out two batters and walked three.

The right-hander has been excellent since getting called up in August, but he did not have his best command Saturday. He plunked a batter, gave up a grand slam to Kris Bryant and only managed a single swinging strike on 64 pitches. Things have been going worse for Dylan Cease, so it seems likely we'll see Dunning start Game 3 of the first round for the White Sox, if a Game 3 is necessary.

Blackburn (0-1) gave up seven runs on five hits and two walks and struck out two in 2.1 innings in a loss to the Mariners in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.

Blackburn was the 29th man for the doubleheader, and he wasn't able to deliver a positive start. That forced the bullpen to absorb 3.2 innings of play. Blackburn hadn't pitched in the majors since last September, and it's likely the right-hander will return to the alternate training site after Saturday's uninspiring effort.

Dunn (4-1) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings in a win in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Athletics.

Dunn allowed a pair of solo shots to Robbie Grossman and an RBI single to Jake Lamb, but the righty was well-supported by the Seattle offense in the nightcap. Across 10 starts in 2020, Dunn has a 4.34 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. He also permitted 10 homers and walked 32 batters.

Quantrill will start Sunday's game against the Pirates, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old delivered four scoreless innings Tuesday in his first start since joining Cleveland, and he'll close out the regular season on the mound for his new team. Quantrill needed only 38 pitches during his previous outing and is unlikely to pitch as deep into Sunday's game, especially with the Indians also wanting to give most of their relievers some work. The right-hander has a 2.17 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB across 29 innings this season.

Houck (3-0) allowed a run on three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts over six innings in Saturday's win over Atlanta.

Houck turned in another good effort to close out his 2020 campaign. The only mistake he made was a solo home run -- the first Houck had given up in his career -- off the bat of Dansby Swanson. The 24-year-old righty struck out 21 and allowed just two runs (one earned) over 17 innings across his first three major-league starts. The 24th overall pick from the 2017 draft could be a factor in the Red Sox rotation in 2021.

Civale (4-6) allowed eight runs on 10 hits and struck out four over four innings in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

Civale was expected to be on a pitch count Saturday, and he threw 52-of-82 pitches for strikes. He wasn't very effective, as three of the 10 hits he allowed left the yard. Civale ends the regular season with a 4.74 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 69 strikeouts across 74 innings and 12 starts. He's expected to work out of the bullpen during the Wild Card round.

Stripling was removed from Saturday's game against the Orioles with an apparent right lower leg injury, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

The veteran right-hander was hit by a comebacker in the right shin, forcing him to leave the contest after 16 pitches. Stripling allowed two runs on three hits while recording two outs before exiting the game. He's unlikely to be available for Sunday's season finale, but his availability for the playoffs should come into focus as he continues to be evaluated. According to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet, he was diagnosed with a right lateral shin contusion.

Glasnow will start Game 2 of the Rays' Wild Card Series on Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The right-hander is likeliest to face the Blue Jays, which he did not pitch against during the regular season. Glasnow will come into the postseason in good recent form, considering he posted a 2-0 record, 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 18:3 K:BB across 11 innings over his last two regular-season starts against the Orioles and Mets.

Snell will start Game 1 of the Rays' AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Snell allowed two earned runs over 7.2 innings in two outings against the Blue Jays -- Tampa's most likely opponent -- this season, and he has a 2.81 ERA across 13 career starts against Toronto overall. He'll head into the postseason opener with some momentum after posting a 2.20 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 18:6 K:BB across the 16.1 innings cover his last three regular-season starts.