MLB Player News

Kelly will start Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday against the Rangers, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Zac Gallen will get the nod for the Diamondbacks in Game 1 on Friday and Brandon Pfaadt is lined up to handle Game 3 on Monday. Kelly recorded a huge win against the Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS, tallying eight strikeouts across five innings of one-run ball. He carries an overall 2.65 ERA with 19 strikeouts through 17 innings (three starts) this postseason.

Gallen will start Friday in Game 1 of the World Series against the Rangers, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Gallen was available in relief but wasn't needed as the Diamondbacks disposed of the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS on Tuesday to advance to the World Series. He'll be pitching on five days' rest after taking a loss in each of his two NLCS outings. The Rangers have not yet named a Game 1 starter.

Suarez allowed three runs on six hits across 4.2 innings to take the loss in Tuesday's 4-2 defeat to the Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the NLCS. He struck out six.

Suarez's luck finally ran out, as he allowed three runs in a postseason outing for the first time in nine career playoff games. The majority of the damage came in the fifth inning, when Corbin Carroll knocked in an RBI single. Jeff Hoffman then replaced Suarez and allowed Carroll to score, which left Suarez with an additional run and stuck him in line for the loss. Suarez's postseason concludes with a sterling 1.93 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 19 strikeouts across 18.2 innings.

Pfaadt did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks across four innings. He struck out seven.

Pfaadt once again chained together a successful outing, pitching only four innings in the contest as the team turned things over to the bullpen in a do-or-die game. Despite the shorter appearance, Pfaadt still impressed in the strikeout column. He has now pitched to an 11.9 K/9 in 16.2 postseason innings, compared to a 8.8 mark across 96 regular-season innings. The hope heading into the World Series is that Pfaadt can maintain his newly discovered strikeout gains and continue his postseason success. He has pitched to a 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in those 16.2 playoff innings.

Gallen will be available for Game 7 of the NLCS against the Phillies on Tuesday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Gallen took the mound for Saturday's Game 5, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while fanning one over six innings. Despite tossing 93 pitches only a few days ago, he'll be ready to go in relief if called upon with a chance to go to the World Series on the line.

Wheeler will be available out of the bullpen for Game 7 of the NLCS against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

It'll be all hands on deck for the Phillies in Game 7, and Wheeler will be ready in relief if skipper Rob Thomson calls his name. Wheeler fired 99 pitches in Saturday's Game 5, but as Healey notes, Tuesday would be his between-starts bullpen day, so he'll likely be available for an inning.

Lauer cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Nashville, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Lauer struggled to get things going with the Brewers in 2023, accumulating a 6.56 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 46.2 innings in 10 appearances. He reserves the right to elect free agency, but other teams will likely have to see signs of improvement before giving Lauer another shot in a big-league rotation.

Ashcraft (toe) was scheduled to begin physical therapy this week, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Ashcraft underwent surgery in September to relieve a stress reaction in his big right toe. Physical therapy appears to be the first step in the recovery process, and he is expected to be 100 percent by the time spring training rolls around.

Pfaadt did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 2-1 victory over the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS, allowing two hits across 5.2 innings. He struck out nine.

Pfaadt put together his best start of the postseason by far, but the team's offense could not get anything going, leaving him waiting on his first win of the playoffs. The rookie right-hander's success came on the back of his fastball and sweeper, which both were racking up whiffs, allowing him to finish with 17 total swing-and-misses across 70 pitches. So far in the postseason, Pfaadt has pitched to a 2.21 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 15 strikeouts across 12.2 innings.

Suarez did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the NLCS, allowing three hits and one walk across 5.1 innings. He struck out seven.

Suarez reached a career-high strikeouts with his seven punchies as he kept his playoff success rolling Thursday. The southpaw had his command on point, as evidenced by a 39 percent called strikes+whiffs rate across all pitches, markedly higher than his 28.3 percent value he averaged across 125 regular-season innings. Suarez has allowed only one run so far this postseason, where he has pitched to a clean 0.64 ERA and 0.64 WHIP with 13 strikeouts across 14 innings.