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  • Zack Littell SP | CIN

    Reds' Zack Littell: Takes loss in elimination game

    Littell took the loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series. He allowed three runs on six hits while striking out two without a walk over 3.1 innings.

    The Reds staked Littell to a two-run lead before he took the mound, but he ultimately gave the lead back with three runs allowed over the third and fourth innings. Littell was lifted after 52 pitches -- an understandably quick hook from manager Terry Francona with the season on the line. Littell served up 36 home runs during the regular season, second most in the majors, but he nonetheless managed a highly respectable 3.81 and 1.10 WHIP over 186.2 innings between Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is a free agent this winter.

  • Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Secures series win

    Yamamoto earned the win over the Reds on Wednesday in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series. He was charged with two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over 6.2 innings.

    Cincinnati scored a couple runs in the first inning, but Teoscar Hernandez's fielding error kept both runs off Yamamoto's ledger. Yamamoto escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth and ended up throwing a career-high 113 pitches in the series-clinching win, sending the Dodgers to the NLDS. Yamamoto figures to start Game 3 against the Phillies at home next Wednesday, Oct. 8.

  • Dylan Cease SP | SD

    Padres' Dylan Cease: Five strikeouts in no-decision

    Cease pitched 3.2 shutout innings Wednesday against the Cubs, surrendering three hits and a walk while striking out five batters. He did not factor into the decision.

    A sacrifice fly from Jackson Merrill during the top of the first inning gave Cease a 1-0 lead to work with before he even stepped on the mound Wednesday. He kept the Cubs' offense at bay for the duration of his start, but he got an early hook from manager Mike Shildt after giving up a double to Seiya Suzuki on his 69th pitch of the day. While Cease's brief outing prevented him from picking up the win in Game 2, it will help to keep him fresh for the NLDS if San Diego takes Game 3.

  • Shota Imanaga SP | CHC

    Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Allows two runs in Game 2

    Imanaga gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three batters over four relief innings during Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Padres. He did not factor into the decision.

    The left-hander entered the game in the second inning after opener Andrew Kittredge allowed the Padres to score a run in the first. Imanaga made it through three frames before conceding a two-run blast to Manny Machado in the fifth, which gave the Padres more insurance than it needed while the Cubs' offense struggled to put a rally together. If Chicago prevails in Thursday's win-or-go-home matchup, Imanaga would likely be in the running to pitch in Game 3 of the NLDS next Wednesday.

  • Cubs' Jameson Taillon: Penciled in for Game 3

    Taillon will start Game 3 of the NL Wild Card series against the Padres on Thursday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.

    After turning in a 3.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 129.2 frames in the regular season, Taillon will take the mound in Thursday's win-or-go-home contest. The 33-year-old has already faced the Padres once this year, allowing two earned runs over 5.1 innings during a 10-4 loss on April 14.

  • Hunter Greene SP | CIN

    Reds' Hunter Greene: Unravels in third inning

    Greene took the loss to the Dodgers on Tuesday in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. He allowed five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four over three innings.

    The hard-throwing righty gave up a leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the first, which set the tone early for the Dodgers. Greene appeared to be settling in but lost his focus and command entirely in the third inning when he gave up back-to-back walks and then back-to-back homers to Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman. After missing more than two months with a groin injury, Greene returned to post a 2.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 59:12 K:BB over his final 48 regular-season innings prior to Tuesday's hiccup.

  • Blake Snell SP | LAD

    Dodgers' Blake Snell: Brilliant against Reds

    Snell earned the win over the Reds on Tuesday in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out nine over seven innings.

    Making his first postseason start with the Dodgers, Snell turned in the longest playoff outing of his career. He induced 19 swinging strikes on 91 pitches and shut the Reds out until the seventh inning. Los Angeles needs one more win to secure the series -- Snell figures to start Game 2 of the NLDS against Philadelphia if the Dodgers advance.

  • Nick Pivetta SP | SD

    Padres' Nick Pivetta: Fans nine in Game 1 loss

    Pivetta took the loss in Tuesday's game against the Cubs after surrendering two earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out nine batters across five innings.

    The right-hander allowed just one baserunner through the first four innings of Tuesday's contest, but a pair of solo homers from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly to lead off the fifth put Chicago in front. Pivetta struck out the next three batters he faced to finish his start; however, a shutdown performance from the Cubs' bullpen kept the Padres behind for the rest of the game. It was a reassuring performance from the 32-year-old after he finished the regular season by giving up six runs in 10.1 frames, but San Diego will now need to win two straight games at Wrigley Field for Pivetta to have any chance of facing the Brewers in the NLDS.

  • Matthew Boyd SP | CHC

    Cubs' Matthew Boyd: Takes no-decision in Game 1

    Boyd didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Padres, giving up one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out two batters across 4.1 innings.

    Back-to-back doubles from Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts in the second inning allowed the Padres to plate their lone run of the game. Boyd likely would have conceded a few more runs if it weren't for Dansby Swanson's defense, and consistent hard contact from San Diego's offense led to the southpaw's removal in the fifth inning after just 58 pitches. If the Cubs manage to advance to the NLDS, Boyd would likely be called upon to start Game 2 in Milwaukee on Monday.

  • Sean Manaea SP | NYM

    Mets' Sean Manaea: Elbow surgery undetermined

    Manaea will be evaluated soon to determine whether he will need surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

    Manaea was diagnosed with loose bodies in his pitching elbow in June, which set back his rehab from an oblique strain at the time. He made his season debut just before the All-Star break, stayed off the injured list from that point forward and finished the year with the elbow feeling well. However, Manaea posted a 5.64 ERA over 12 starts and three relief appearances, and it's possible the elbow was a factor in his struggles. More should be known about Manaea's status in the coming weeks.

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