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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Dodgers' Walker Buehler: Start switched to Saturday
Buehler will start Saturday's game against Colorado, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Buehler was originally scheduled to start Sunday, but manager Dave Roberts announced that Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu would flip starting assignments for the final two games of the series against the Rockies. The decision was likely made in order to set up preferred pitching assignments in the NLDS.
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Jacob Nix SP | SD
Padres' Jacob Nix: Won't return to majors this season
Nix (elbow/shoulder) will not join the Padres this season, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
There had been hope that Nix would be able to return to the big club at some point in September, but he experienced discomfort in his shoulder during his final rehab start Sept. 11 and will be shut down as a result. Nix sat out most of 2019 after being diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow during spring training, though he did work his way back to make eight minor-league starts -- including two in the playoffs -- with mostly positive results. He'll be a long shot to earn a spot in the rotation in 2020.
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Chase Anderson RP | TEX
Brewers' Chase Anderson: Blanks Bucs for seventh win
Anderson (7-4) picked up the win in Friday's 10-1 rout of the Pirates, giving up three hits and a walk over six scoreless innings while striking out four.
After lasting only four innings in each of his last four outings, Anderson delivered his third quality start of the year at a crucial time for the Brewers, who now sit two games ahead of the Cubs for the second wild-card spot in the NL. The right-hander will take the bump one more time in the regular season, carrying a 4.30 ERA and 122:48 K:BB through 134 innings into a road start against the Reds on Thursday.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Cites mechanical, mental tweaks
Kelly said he stopped a summer slide by making two significant adjustments, one mechanical and the other mental, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Kelly's spot in the rotation was teetering following an August start against the Brewers when manager Torey Lovullo openly considered a change. The right-hander had a 9.20 ERA over an odious six-start stretch, but the manager held off. After that start, Kelly tweaked his mechanics, a slight turn of the hips before driving down the mound. That adjustment added a tick of velocity over his last five starts; Kelly's four-seam fastball averaged 92.08 following that start against Milwaukee and jumped to 93.47 since. "It just allows me to be more athletic," Kelly said, "and not necessarily feel my way through my delivery but just kind of load and go." He also credits an intangible adjustment, realizing he no longer needs to fear opposing hitters. "Just having the confidence," he said, "that I'm good enough as myself and don't need to be any better than what I'm doing is kind of what it boils down to." Kelly has a 1.74 ERA with a 9.3 K/9 over the last five starts.
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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: May be done for season
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Gallen may not pitch again this season, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.
Lovullo said Gallen's scheduled start Saturday is being skipped in favor of Luke Weaver (elbow) returning from the injured list and then acknowledged it is possible Gallen will not pitch again this season. The rookie right-hander has thrown a career-high 171.1 innings combined between the majors and minors, so the team was already thinking about capping his season. Earlier this month, Lovullo indicated that Gallen would be used as long as the playoffs were a possibility; Arizona entered play Friday technically still alive for a postseason spot, albeit facing long odds. Gallen is expected to claim one of Arizona's rotation spots in 2020.
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Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Pulls off 15th win
Kershaw (15-5) earned the win Friday against the Rockies, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five across six innings.
Despite surrendering three home runs, Kershaw still managed to turn in the win, improving his career record against the Rockies to 23-8. Kershaw's nemeses Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado got to him once again, this time with back-to-back home runs in the first inning, each tallying the fourth homer of their careers against the 31-year-old. Kershaw also served up a home run to Garrett Hampson in the fourth. The southpaw now owns a 3.15 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 181:40 K:BB this season and will look to keep the ball in the park during his last start of the regular season Thursday at San Diego.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Holds Padres scoreless
Kelly (12-14) picked up the win Friday after holding the Padres scoreless across seven innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out nine.
Coming off one of his best starts of the year, Kelly improved his season record against the Padres to 3-1 as he earned back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-start run in June. The right-hander's late-season surge improves his stat line to a 4.31 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 151:55 K:BB. He'll make his final start of the regular season Wednesday against the Cardinals.
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Eric Lauer SP | LAD
Padres' Eric Lauer: Whiffs nine in loss
Lauer (8-10) was charged with the loss against the Diamondbacks on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out nine across six innings.
Despite turning in a quality start, Lauer just didn't get enough run support. Of course, surrendering four walks didn't help things, but the southpaw worked around them enough to limit the damage. In 12 of his 14 starts at Petco Park this year, Lauer has held his opponents to three runs or fewer. The 24-year-old now owns a 4.53 ERA and 1.39 WHIP on the season. He'll look to bounce back during his final outing Thursday against the Dodgers.
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Steven Matz RP | TB
Mets' Steven Matz: Next start coming Monday
Matz will make his next start Monday against the Marlins, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Matz was on track to make his next appearance Sunday in the series finale against the Reds, but he'll be pushed back a day. Marcus Stroman is now set to toe the rubber Sunday.
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Marcus Stroman SP | NYY
Mets' Marcus Stroman: Next start coming Sunday
Stroman's next start will be moved up to Sunday against Cincinnati, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Stroman was initially slated to start Monday, but he'll switch spots with Steven Matz and will now toe the rubber Sunday instead against the Reds. Matz is slated to start Monday in the series opener with Miami as a result.