MLB Player News

Dunning (elbow) is throwing pain-free, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Dunning's season ended in June thanks to an elbow sprain, but he's back to throwing side sessions with no pain after a lengthy period of rest and rehab. The young right-hander, who posted a 2.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10.4 K/9 across 86.1 innings (15 starts) in the minors prior to getting hurt, should be ready to go by the start of spring training barring any setbacks.

Severino will start Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game against the Athletics.

The youngster had his rough patches this season but still finished the season with a 3.39 ERA, backed up by excellent strikeout (28.2 percent) and walk (5.9 percent) rates. He finished the season strong, allowing just four runs in 17.2 innings over his final three starts. He'll look to shake the memory of his performance in last season's AL Wild Card Game against the Twins, when he allowed three runs while getting just a single out.

Turnbull (0-2) took the loss Sunday against the Brewers, as he allowed four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

Turnbull pitched decently in this one, as he allowed three runs through five innings and came out for the sixth. He started the frame by allowing consecutive singles, though he managed to strike out Milwaukee slugger Jesus Aguilar before departing. The Detroit bullpen allowed one of the inherited runners to score, but it was still a serviceable outing for Turnbull. The 26-year-old finished his first taste of MLB action with a 6.06 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 15 strikeouts over 16.1 innings, and he figures to be in the mix for a spot at the back of Detroit's rotation to begin 2019.

Morton allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out four across three innings in a no-decision against Baltimore on Sunday.

As expected, Morton was on a limited pitch count as the Astros gear up for the postseason. On a positive note, it didn't look like he had any problems with the shoulder soreness that caused him to leave last weekend's start after just one inning. Though nothing has been made official at this point in time, it's expected that Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole will take the mound versus the Indians during the first two games of the ALDS, so look for Morton to start Game 3 or 4 in Cleveland.

Carrasco (17-10) allowed one earned run on three hits and two walks while striking out six across five innings to earn the win Sunday against the Royals.

Carrasco had little trouble working through the Royals' lineup, allowing just three runners to reach scoring position. He also generated 15 swinging strikes, an impressive mark considering that he threw only 77 pitches Sunday. It was a strong close to the season for Carrasco, who ended the campaign with a 3.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP to go along with 231 strikeouts across 192 innings. He'll make his next start in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Astros.

Severino won't be available out of the bullpen against the Red Sox on Sunday, Brendan Kuty of NJ.com reports.

Severino was a potential option out of the bullpen after being bumped from starting Sunday, but the Yankees will instead opt to keep him out of game action. The 24-year-old could be chosen to start the AL Wild Card Game against Oakland on Wednesday, but the Yankees have yet to officially announce their pitching plans.

Valdez won't start the Astros' regular-season finale Sunday against the Orioles, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros have considered turning to Valdez or Josh James as their primary pitcher for a mostly meaningless regular-season finale, but Charlie Morton will take the hill as he looks to prove his health in advance of the postseason. Because Morton hasn't pitched since Sept. 23 against the Angels and covered only one inning in that outing before exiting with shoulder discomfort, he'll likely be making an abbreviated start Sunday. That could afford Valdez and/or James the opportunity to fill an inning or two out of the bullpen.

Kluber didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Royals, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings while striking out six.

The right-hander got pulled after 80 pitches (59 strikes) in a meaningless game for Cleveland, and he should be well-rested when he faces Justin Verlander on Friday in the first game of their ALDS. Kluber wraps up his regular season with a career-high 20 wins, a 2.89 ERA and 222 strikeouts -- his fifth straight campaign with at least 200 K's.

McCullers struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in a 5-2 win over Baltimore in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.

This was McCullers' second appearance since coming off the disabled list, and it was stressful: The bases were loaded with one out in the seventh inning. After a wild pitch plated a run, McCullers settled in to get a strikeout and groundout. He's not assured of a postseason roster spot, as manager A.J. Hinch needs to determine if the right-hander's arsenal is where it needs to be after he made just two appearances since July.

Keuchel allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out two in a 5-2 win over Baltimore in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.

As planned, Keuchel threw three innings. Not planned was the left-hander needing to scatter six baserunners. He had traffic on the basepaths in each inning, but he managed his way out of significant trouble in a tuneup for the postseason.