MLB Player News

Sandoval is listed as the Angels' probable starter Sunday against the Dodgers.

The left-hander has been working in long relief since returning from the alternate training site in mid-September, but it appears he'll make the start for the final game of the season. Sandoval has a 3.18 ERA since rejoining the team and topped out at 62 pitches during that stretch, and he's likely to have a similar workload Sunday.

Teheran didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's game against the Dodgers, tossing one inning and allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while fanning three.

The Angels had already indicated Teheran would be working out of the bullpen in the final games of the season, but he received another chance to start after scheduled starter Dylan Bundy (finger) was a late scratch. As has been the trend all season long, Teheran didn't take advantage of the chance and delivered another woeful performance. The Colombian ends the season with a career-worst 10.05 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) after not posting an ERA above the 4.50 mark in each of the past seven seasons.

Anderson (1-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Orioles, giving up one hit over two scoreless innings of relief. He struck out four.

Entering the game in the sixth inning after T.J. Zeuch had blanked the O's for five frames, Anderson kept the shutout going and was rewarded for his efforts when Cavan Biggio gave the Jays the lead with a solo shot. While he was able to end the regular season on a high note, Anderson had a rough first campaign with Toronto, posting a 7.22 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 38:10 K:BB over 33.2 innings.

Means (2-4) took the loss Saturday as the Orioles fell 5-2 to the Blue Jays, allowing one run on one hit and one walk over six innings. He struck out nine.

The southpaw took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but Cavan Biggio's solo shot with two outs put the first run of the game on the board, and the O's were never able to tie it back up. Means finishes the season with a 4.53 ERA thanks to 12 homers allowed in 43.2 innings, but his 0.98 WHIP and 42:7 K:BB were both improvements on his breakout 2019.

Gibson tossed six scoreless innings Saturday against the Astros while allowing six hits and one walk. He struck out four and did not factor into the decision.

Gibson dueled with Astros starter Lance McCullers on Saturday as both pitched several innings of scoreless baseball. It was the 32-year-old's second time in this month shutting out the Astros across six or more innings; he pitched a complete-game masterpiece against Houston back on Sept. 16. As a whole, 2020 was an up-and-down campaign for Gibson as he finished with a 5.35 ERA and 58:30 K:BB across 67.1 innings.

Bielak (3-3) allowed four runs on five hits (one home run) and a walk while striking out three across two innings Saturday as he took the loss against the Rangers.

Bielak came out to start the fifth in place of Lance McCullers and got off to a nice start with a quick 1-2-3 inning. The right-hander returned for the sixth and allowed a couple of early base runners before Nick Solak was able to single home Willie Calhoun with two outs in the inning to give the Rangers their first lead. Bielak escaped with just the one run earned and came back out for the seventh. He allowed the first two batters to reach before Jeff Mathis took him deep to left to put the Rangers up 4-1. Bielak's night was done immediately afterward. He holds a 6.75 ERA and 26:17 K:BB over 32 innings heading into playoffs.

McCullers pitched four scoreless innings while allowing two hits and two walks Friday against the Rangers. He struck out nine and did not factor into the decision.

The Astros stated before McCullers took the mound Saturday that he'd be on a pitch count heading into the postseason, and they held true to their word. McCullers looked very confident and had all his pitches working effectively as he fanned a season-high nine batters using a combination of the cutter, sinker and knuckle-curve. The 26-year-old finishes the 2020 regular season with a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:20 K:BB across 55 innings and will hope to replicate Saturday's dominant outing in the playoffs.

Dunning was charged with five runs (four earned) on three hits over three innings in a no-decision against the Cubs on Saturday. He struck out two batters and walked three.

The right-hander has been excellent since getting called up in August, but he did not have his best command Saturday. He plunked a batter, gave up a grand slam to Kris Bryant and only managed a single swinging strike on 64 pitches. Things have been going worse for Dylan Cease, so it seems likely we'll see Dunning start Game 3 of the first round for the White Sox, if a Game 3 is necessary.

Blackburn (0-1) gave up seven runs on five hits and two walks and struck out two in 2.1 innings in a loss to the Mariners in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.

Blackburn was the 29th man for the doubleheader, and he wasn't able to deliver a positive start. That forced the bullpen to absorb 3.2 innings of play. Blackburn hadn't pitched in the majors since last September, and it's likely the right-hander will return to the alternate training site after Saturday's uninspiring effort.

Dunn (4-1) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings in a win in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Athletics.

Dunn allowed a pair of solo shots to Robbie Grossman and an RBI single to Jake Lamb, but the righty was well-supported by the Seattle offense in the nightcap. Across 10 starts in 2020, Dunn has a 4.34 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. He also permitted 10 homers and walked 32 batters.