MLB Player News

Darvish won't start Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Marlins as scheduled, as the game has been postponed due to rain, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Darvish will presumably get the nod Friday for what was originally scheduled to be Game 3. The Cubs need a win to stay alive, and turning to a pitcher who recorded a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 12 starts this season should certainly help.

Urias tossed three scoreless innings of relief while allowing three hits and striking out five against the Brewers in Wednesday's Game 1 win. He picked up the win.

Walker Buehler was pulled after four innings, so Urias came on and was the pitcher of record in the 4-2 series-opening victory. He needed 52 pitches to get through the three frames, but he was in control throughout. Given the Dodgers' pitching depth, Urias probably won't be used again until the second round.

Buehler threw just four innings in Wednesday's Wild Card Series Game 1 win over the Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking two. He did not factor into the decision.

Buehler made it through the first three innings without allowing a runner to advance beyond first base but ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing a two-run homer to light-hitting shortstop Orlando Arcia. Despite having thrown just 73 pitches, he wasn't asked to return for the start of the fifth, with the top of the order schedule to come to the plate for the third time. Julio Urias replaced him and threw three scoreless innings to earn credit for the win.

Kim allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series.

He did not have his best stuff and manager Mike Shildt made an early move to the bullpen, lifting the lefty after 76 pitches. Kim posted a sparkling 1.62 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 39 regular-season innings as a "rookie" stateside, although the estimators are less kind to him on account of his 24:12 K:BB.

Paddack took the loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He gave up six runs on eight hits while striking out one batter without a walk in 2.1 innings.

Paddack's fastball was a problem throughout the regular season, and while he had decent velocity Wednesday, the Cardinals had no trouble squaring up the pitch. Three of the four base-scoring hits against Paddack were off 94-mph offerings. He has taken a dramatic step backward after his stellar 2019 debut and will make for an interesting fantasy wild card in 2021.

Alcantara earned the win against the Cubs on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four over 6.2 innings.

The lone blemish was a solo homer off the bat of Ian Happ in the fifth inning. Alcantara spent time on the COVID-19 IL earlier this season and struggled in his first start back, but he has been better than ever since turning the page on that Aug. 30 outing with only nine earned runs allowed in his last 38 innings. Miami may have two futures aces atop the rotation in Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez.

Hendricks took the loss the the Marlins on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three over 6.1 innings.

Hendricks hung zeros on the scoreboard through six, but Corey Dickerson touched the right-hander up for a three-run homer in the seventh before the Marlins tacked on two more against Jeremy Jeffress. That was enough to saddle Hendricks with the loss, and he will need his team to rally in this short, best-of-three series to have a chance to start again in 2020. The 30-year-old turned in another stellar regular season in the ratios categories; his strikeout rate remained right around 20 percent, but he cut his already-low walk rate to a mere 2.5 percent.

Fried allowed six hits over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Reds on Wednesday in a Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.

While he was not quite as dominant as opposing starter Trevor Bauer, all that matters is that Fried hung zeros on the scoreboard. The lefty showcased his incredible curveball and worked out of two-on, one-out jams in the first, sixth and seventh innings as part of Atlanta's 13-inning combined shutout. Fried stepped up in a major way after the Braves lost Mike Soroka (Achilles) early on, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB in 56 frames during the regular season. He will start Game 1 of the NLDS if the Braves are able to close this series out.

The Cardinals deactivated Woodford from their 28-man roster Wednesday ahead of the team's wild-card series with the Padres, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

St. Louis swapped out Woodford and Seth Elledge from the roster in exchange for Daniel Ponce de Leon and Andrew Knizner. Woodford made 12 appearances (one start) for the Cardinals during the regular season, posting a 5.57 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 16:5 K:BB in 21 innings.

Wood isn't included on the Dodgers' 28-man roster for their wild-card series with the Brewers that begins Wednesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

After returning from a month-long absence due to a shoulder injury that he sustained in his season debut July 25, Wood moved into a relief role and struggled with the transition. Over his eight relief appearances, Wood posted a 5.59 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB in 9.2 innings. He'll remain on standby with the Dodgers as a member of the taxi squad, but unless the team loses another pitcher to injury, Wood may not be added to the roster at any point during the postseason.