MLB Player News

Maeda is not scheduled for another start this season, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Maeda last pitched Sept. 19, when he struck out eight over five scoreless innings in Cincinnati. He projects to be used as a reliever in the postseason, and the Twins look to be shifting him to that role now. Maeda figures to see some bullpen work this weekend in Colorado so he doesn't go into the playoffs following such a long layoff. A scheduled bullpen game Saturday would seem to be a prime opportunity.

Lopez will start Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series for the Twins, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

It comes as no surprise since it's the way the pitchers have been lined up, but it will be Lopez in the first game and Sonny Gray in Game 2 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Lopez is certainly deserving of the honor, as he finished the regular season with a 3.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 234:48 K:BB over 194 innings in his first year in Minnesota.

Bello (12-11) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up five runs on nine hits and two walks over six innings as the Red Sox were downed 5-0 by the Rays. He struck out three.

The Boston offense gave him no support, but Bello was far from sharp himself, tossing 62 of 100 pitches for strikes and serving up homers to Josh Lowe in the second inning and Isaac Paredes in the sixth. The 24-year-old right-hander, whose last win came Sept. 10, wraps up his first full big-league campaign with a 4.24 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 132:45 K:BB through 157 innings, and he figures to be a big part of the team's rotation plans in 2024.

Glasnow (10-7) picked up the win in Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the Red Sox, allowing two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out nine.

The southpaw left the mound after just 70 pitches (45 strikes) with the postseason in mind, but Glasnow was dominant before his exit, generating an incredible 31 called or swinging strikes. Whiffs have come easily for him in September even if nothing else has, and Glasnow has a 4.86 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48:10 K:BB through 33.1 innings on the month. The 30-year-old figures to start the first game of the playoff for the Rays, but as yet it's not clear when that will happen or who their opponent will be, as they could still catch the Orioles for the AL East title and a first-round bye.

Rodriguez (7-4) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits over 5.2 innings against the Nationals. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.

Rodriguez surrendered only one hit over the first four frames before giving up three in the fifth, which would lead to one run coming home for Washington. The young right-hander would then allow hits to two of the first four batters he faced in the top of the sixth before being relieved by Danny Coulombe. Rodriguez has now won five of his last six decisions (spanning eight starts) and has continued to lower his ERA with each passing month, culminating in a 2.17 ERA in September. .

Bieber (6-6) earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run on five hits over six innings against the Reds. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

Bieber allowed only one hit over the first four innings and didn't surrender a run until the sixth, after Cleveland had already jumped out to a four-run lead. The right-hander had given up four runs in each of his last three starts coming in, and it marked his first start with one or fewer runs allowed since June 29. Bieber now carries a 4.09 ERA through two September starts to go along with a 12:1 K:BB.

Estes worked 5.1 innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five batters.

Estes was shaky early, giving up a solo homer to Edouard Julien in the first inning and yielding another run in the second. The right-hander mostly settled in from there, holding the Twins scoreless across the third to fifth frames before being charged with another run following his departure in the sixth. Estes threw 75 pitches in the start, so this was presumably his final appearance of the campaign. If that's the case, he'll finish with 7.20 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 7:2 K:BB over 10 innings during his first taste of the majors. He'll look to earn a rotation spot coming out of spring training in 2024.

Lopez allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters over 4.1 innings in a no-decision against Oakland on Wednesday.

Lopez was handed an early two-run lead before giving up his first run in the third frame. The right-hander responded with a scoreless fourth but was lifted after giving up consecutive one-out hits in the fifth. Both of those runners came around to score after Lopez's departure, resulting his his mediocre final line. On a positive note, Lopez stuck out six batters to end up with 234 on the campaign, the most by a Twins pitcher since Johan Santana struck out 235 in 2007. Assuming this was his final regular-season appearance, Lopez complemented the punchout total with a 3.66 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 194 frames covering 32 starts. HIs next trip to the mound should come in the AL Wild Card round, which begins next Tuesday.

Miller (8-7) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four over four innings, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Astros.

Miller was solid through three innings, but he gave up a solo shot to Yordan Alvarez and a three-run home run to Mauricio Dubon in the fourth. Miller has faded toward the end of the campaign, allowing 15 runs over his last 18.2 innings, including four homers over his last two starts. He's likely done for the regular season with a 4.32 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 119:26 K:BB through 131.1 innings over 25 starts in his rookie year.

Valdez allowed three runs on five hits and five walks while striking out seven over four innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Wednesday.

Valdez walked five batters for the third time this year, and he's issued multiple free passes in three of his last five starts. This was a short outing of 83 pitches (49 strikes), which could allow Valdez to line up for an early playoff game or potentially a brief bullpen assignment over the weekend if the Astros are looking to secure a playoff spot. Through 198 innings this year, he's posted a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 200:57 K:BB over 31 starts.