MLB Player News

Clevinger (illness) tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday and is traveling to New York to join the Padres ahead of Friday's wild-card game against the Mets, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Clevinger was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, but he should be in the mix to be on the Padres' postseason roster now that he's tested negative. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will be part of the team's playoff rotation, but he'll at least be an option to pitch as long as he continues to test negative.

Manager Oliver Marmol announced Mikolas as the starter for Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series versus Philadelphia on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran right-hander allowed a run over three frames in his final outing of the regular season Monday, and he'll follow Game 1 starter Jose Quintana in the rotation to begin the playoffs for St. Louis. Mikolas threw a career-high 202.1 innings this year and finished with a 3.29 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 153:39 K:BB.

Manager Oliver Marmol announced Quintana as the Cardinals' starter for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Phillies on Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

The veteran left-hander made his final start of the regular season Monday in Pittsburgh and delivered three scoreless innings, and he'll be St. Louis' opening starter for the postseason. Quintana was acquired from the Pirates at the trade deadline and posted a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 48:16 K:BB in 62.2 innings across 12 starts for the Cardinals.

Burnes did not factor into the decision Wednesday and did not allow a baserunner with five strikeouts over three innings against Arizona.

Burnes finished 2022 without allowing a run in back-to-back outings; however, his final 13 starts were not up to his usual standard as he allowed at least four earned runs on five occasions. The right-hander followed up his 2021 NL Cy Young Award with a 2.94 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 243:51 K:BB in 202 innings, with the strikeouts and innings totals representing career highs.

Kelly did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings in a 4-2 victory over the Brewers. He struck out seven.

Kelly allowed only one extra-base hit in the form of a double from Victor Caratini and allowed his only run on an RBI groundout to tie the game in the fifth inning. The righty had struggled in the seven starts prior to this one, posting a 5.32 ERA over 44 innings. Still, it was a strong season for the 33-year-old, who finished with a 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 177:61 K:BB across 200.1 innings.

Williams (3-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Nationals. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out six over six innings.

The right-hander didn't officially make the start, but he did handle the majority of the workload on Wednesday after replacing opener Mychal Givens to begin the second inning. Williams retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a one-out single to Cesar Hernandez in the fifth, who then came in to score on a homer from Alex Call on the very next pitch. Williams would only allow two more batters to reach base over his final two innings. He has not allowed more than two runs in any appearance since July 2, carrying a 2.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts to only 10 walks over that stretch. That run propelled him to a strong final line for 2022, with a 3.21 ERA and 84:23 K:BB across 89.2 innings.

Gomber allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out four batters over three innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Gomber had been coming out of the bullpen since late July, but he was given the opportunity to start the Rockies' season finale. The right-hander allowed just one run in three frames but wasn't stretched out, so he departed after 46 pitches. Gomber's second season in Colorado was his worst so far in the majors, as he finished with a 5.56 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 95:34 K:BB over 124.2 innings.

Kershaw (12-3) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, pitching five innings and allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters.

The game was merely a playoff tune-up with no impact on seeding for the Dodgers, but Kershaw still completed five innings. He gave up only one hit -- Ezequiel Tovar's first major-league homer -- and fanned nine batters while throwing 53 of 72 pitches for strikes. Kershaw showed no signs of slowing down in his 15th big-league season, finishing with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. His next start is almost certain to come in Game 1 or 2 of the NLDS.

Ashcraft (5-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs on four hits and five walks over 5.1 innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

After beginning the game with a 1-2-3 first inning, Ashcraft ran into trouble in the second, allowing three consecutive batters to reach base before giving up a three-run homer to David Bote. The right-hander mostly cruised through the next three innings before allowing four of the first five batters to reach base in the sixth and eventually being charged with four more runs. Ashcraft allowed four or more runs in each of his final three starts to go along with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

Oviedo pitched four innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out one in Wednesday's win over the Cardinals. He did not factor into the decision.

Oviedo struggled early Wednesday, allowing two runs to score in the first inning, one of which was unearned as a result of a throwing error. He later surrendered another run in the third frame on a Nolan Arenado RBI single, accounting for the final run on his line. The performance marked the fifth consecutive outing where he allowed three or fewer runs, finishing the season with a 3.21 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while striking out 54 batters over 56 innings in 21 appearances, including eight starts.