MLB Player News

Valdez won't start the Astros' regular-season finale Sunday against the Orioles, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Astros have considered turning to Valdez or Josh James as their primary pitcher for a mostly meaningless regular-season finale, but Charlie Morton will take the hill as he looks to prove his health in advance of the postseason. Because Morton hasn't pitched since Sept. 23 against the Angels and covered only one inning in that outing before exiting with shoulder discomfort, he'll likely be making an abbreviated start Sunday. That could afford Valdez and/or James the opportunity to fill an inning or two out of the bullpen.

Kluber didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-4 loss to the Royals, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings while striking out six.

The right-hander got pulled after 80 pitches (59 strikes) in a meaningless game for Cleveland, and he should be well-rested when he faces Justin Verlander on Friday in the first game of their ALDS. Kluber wraps up his regular season with a career-high 20 wins, a 2.89 ERA and 222 strikeouts -- his fifth straight campaign with at least 200 K's.

McCullers struck out one over two-thirds of an inning in a 5-2 win over Baltimore in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.

This was McCullers' second appearance since coming off the disabled list, and it was stressful: The bases were loaded with one out in the seventh inning. After a wild pitch plated a run, McCullers settled in to get a strikeout and groundout. He's not assured of a postseason roster spot, as manager A.J. Hinch needs to determine if the right-hander's arsenal is where it needs to be after he made just two appearances since July.

Keuchel allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out two in a 5-2 win over Baltimore in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.

As planned, Keuchel threw three innings. Not planned was the left-hander needing to scatter six baserunners. He had traffic on the basepaths in each inning, but he managed his way out of significant trouble in a tuneup for the postseason.

Gibson (10-13) picked up the win in Saturday's 8-3 victory over the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over six innings while striking out seven.

The streaky right-hander finished 2018 with three straight wins, posting a 2.76 ERA in five September starts to lower his mark on the season to a career-best 3.62. Gibson also set a new personal high in strikeouts with 179 and innings pitched with 196.2, and he'll be looking for a healthy raise this winter as he heads into his final arbitration-eligible year.

Rodon (6-8) took the loss Saturday, surrendering eight runs on six hits and four walks over one-plus innings while striking out two as the White Sox fell 8-3 to the Twins.

The southpaw's season ended in disaster, as he got hammered for 18 earned runs in 10.1 innings over his final three starts. Rodon wraps up 2018 with a 4.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 90:55 K:BB through 120.2 frames, and the 25-year-old will head into next spring just looking to stay healthy enough to make 30-plus starts for the first time in his career.

Paxton intends to develop and increase the use of his changeup in 2019, partly by seeking advice from changeup throwers Wade LeBlanc and Marco Gonzales, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

The left-hander, who spun a quality start in his season finale Saturday, wants to cultivate a pitch that will help his top-flight velocity play even more strongly and aid in retiring right-handed batters. While this could be dismissed as narrative, successful efforts to change a pitcher's approach, pitch mix or other attribute can lead to sustained progress if done correctly. Of course, although injury concerns will probably keep Paxton's price lower relative to other ace-type arms in many mixed-league drafts next spring, Paxton will remain a highly coveted starter.

Paxton allowed one earned runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out nine across six innings Saturday against the Rangers. He did not factor into the decision.

Paxton threw 91 pitches in his final start of the season, and he pitched at least six innings for only the second time in his last six starts. Despite performing unevenly since the All-Star break, Paxton pitched a career-high 160.1 innings while also surpassing 200 strikeouts for the first time.

Morton returned to the Astros in between Saturday's doubleheader following the birth of his child and is confirmed for Sunday's start, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The shoulder soreness that cut his previous start short doesn't appear to be an issue, though Morton probably won't pitch more than a few innings so the club can conserve him for the playoffs. Whether fantasy players should start him depends on what they'll need during the championship matchup: This probably isn't a good spot to count on a win or quality start, but those merely chasing strikeouts against the whiff-happy Orioles have no reason to avoid him.

Snell gave up one run in five innings Saturday, giving up three hits while striking out 10 and walking four in the Rays' 4-3 win, but he didn't factor into the decision.

Though he didn't notch a win as the cherry on top, Snellzilla gave up three or fewer runs for his 15th straight start and struck out eight-plus for the seventh time in eight outings to wrap up his remarkable 2018 breakout season. Arguably the top candidate for the American League's Cy Young Award, Snell finishes with a jaw-dropping 1.89 ERA, 11.0 K/9 and a 3.2 BB/9 in 180.2 innings. Caution: His absurdly high 88.0 left-on-base percentage might position him for a notable ERA correction in 2019. That being said, Snell, turning 26 in December, boasts the alluring dominance and command that befits a conservative projection of a low-end fantasy ace in most fantasy formats, while it's strongly possible he'll again finish among the top few.