MLB Player News

Greinke lasted 3.2 innings and didn't factor into the decision in the Diamondbacks' 11-8 win over the Rockies on Wednesday in the National League wild-card game. He gave up four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out one batter in the 58-pitch outing.

Staked to a 6-0 lead after cruising through the first three frames, Greinke appeared poised to put the game away for the Diamondbacks without much worry, but he completely unraveled in the top of the fourth to let the Rockies back in the contest. He allowed five of the first seven batters of the inning to reach base and allowed all but one to score before Andrew Chafin came out of the bullpen to put out the fire. Fortunately for the Diamondbacks, Greinke's poor outing didn't cost them the win, but the team's confidence in the ace might be a bit shaken heading into a divisional-round matchup with the Dodgers. Over his last three appearances, Greinke has covered 11.2 innings and has surrendered 14 runs on 21 hits and five walks.

Ray was charged with one run over 2.1 innings in relief Wednesday in the Diamondbacks' 11-8 win over the Rockies in the National League wild-card game. He gave up two hits and struck out three in the 34-pitch outing.

The Diamondbacks limited Ray to 1.2 innings in his final start of the regular season Sunday specifically so that he'd be available in relief for the wild-card contest, and manager Torey Lovullo ended up calling upon the lefty out of the bullpen in the top of the fifth after starter Zack Greinke struggled early on. While he wasn't able to keep the Rockies off the board, Ray probably performed well enough in relief for Lovullo to justify turning to him again in that capacity when necessary during the Diamondbacks' postseason run. It's expected that Ray's next playoff appearance will come in a starting role, however, perhaps in Game 3 or 4 of the Diamondbacks' divisional series with the Dodgers, which commences Friday.

Strasburg will start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cubs on Friday, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Strasburg will take the hill opposite Kyle Hendricks for the opening game of the series, which will come exactly seven days since his last regular-season start against the Pirates. During that final tune-up, Strasburg pitched a gem, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight over 7.2 scoreless innings. Manager Dusty Baker hasn't announced anything beyond Strasburg at this point, but will likely go with Gio Gonzalez and Max Scherzer in some combination for the next pair of games, while leaving Strasburg available for Game 4 on short rest, or Game 5 on Thursday, if either are needed.

Farrell was picked up off waivers by the Cubs on Wednesday, Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune reports.

Farrell heads to Chicago after spending a few months with the Reds. The right-hander has been a part of four different organizations this season, and has appeared in 10 major-league games over the course of the 2017 campaign, compiling a 5.54 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 13 innings. In a corresponding move, the club designated Felix Pena for assignment.

Quintana will be the starter for Game 3 of the NLDS against Washington, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports.

Quintana will take the mound once the series shifts to Wrigley Field, following starts by Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester. Since joining the Cubs in mid-July, Quintana has posted a 3.74 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 14 starts.

Hendricks will start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Nationals on Saturday, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reports.

Hendricks will likely take the mound opposite Stephen Strasburg -- although Washington hasn't released its rotation just yet -- for the opening contest at Nationals Park. Manager Joe Maddon attributed this decision to Hendricks' big-game experience, as well as how he matched up against Washington to go along with his stats in the second half of this season. Following the right-hander will be Jon Lester in Game 2, and then Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta, if necessary, back at Wrigley Field. Since the All-Star break, Hendricks has posted a 2.19 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 72:19 K:BB over 13 starts.

Wainwright posted on his personal Twitter account that the arthroscopic right elbow procedure he underwent Tuesday went according to plan.

Since Wainwright's procedure was just a scope, it's not expected that his recovery timetable will linger into the spring, allowing him to enter Cardinals camp at full strength. Wainwright was bumped to the bullpen in September upon being activated from the 10-day disabled list before being shut down for good with the elbow issue, but the 36-year-old will prepare for a starting role heading into 2018. He'll try to bounce back after the worst season of his career, during which he compiled a 5.11 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 123.1 innings.

Senzatela allowed five earned runs on eight hits in 9.2 innings pitched in the month of September.

Senzatela was moved into a relief role for the stretch run, but he did little to cement his status as a sure-fire MLB arm for 2018. After a strong start to the season, the rookie really faded down the stretch, and now he likely faces an uphill battle to even break camp with Colorado in 2018. He'll need to prove his worth during spring training, otherwise he could wind up having to develop further in Triple-A to start next season.

Ray didn't factor into the decision during Sunday's 14-2 win at Kansas City, lasting only 1.2 innings while allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout.

Ray was removed after just 23 pitches as manager Torey Lovullo wanted to keep the possibility of using him out of the bullpen in Wednesday's wild-card game on the table. The lefty gave up a first-inning solo homer to Eric Hosmer but retired the other five batters he faced. Ray will be a key component of Arizona's postseason pitching staff if the team beats Colorado on Wednesday, as he's been among baseball's best pitchers with a 15-5 record, 2.89 ERA and 218:71 K:BB in 162 innings.

Stripling pitched two scoreless innings without factoring into the decision of Sunday's win over Colorado.

Stripling's only other start of the season was Aug. 26, so it wasn't surprising to see him pitch just two innings Sunday. He's had an underwhelming season out of the bullpen for the Dodgers with a 4.02 ERA and 1.21 WHIP through 47 relief appearances. Assuming the 27-year-old righty doesn't return to the starting rotation next year, he'll be off the fantasy grid in the majority of settings.