MLB Player News

Gausman is expected to start Sunday against the Rays, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Gausman wasn't expected to start again this season, but with Jeremy Hellickson unavailable due to a back issue, the Orioles will likely hand the ball to Gausman for one final outing. He's coming off a loss to the Pirates in which he allowed six runs in just four innings of work, but prior to that he compiled a 2.25 ERA in four September starts. The 26-year-old, who owns a 4.81 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 179.2 innings this season, will get one more opportunity to end his season on a positive note.

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News said it's his "guess" that Tuesday's start was Hamels' last of the 2017 season.

The team is currently listing Sunday's probable starter as "TBA." Texas was officially eliminated from postseason contention with the loss Tuesday -- a loss which was attributed to Hamels (six runs over three innings). The Rangers are at home to close out the season, but it's possible they will shut Hamels down early and go with a bullpen game in the finale with nothing left to play for.

Severino (shoulder) will start Wednesday against the Rays.

He was struck on his left (non-throwing) shoulder by a batted ball during warmups Saturday, but Severino was never believed to be in any real danger of missing this game. Severino has been excellent against the Rays in two prior starts this season -- as he has against most opponents -- allowing three runs while posting an 18:4 K:BB over 12 innings. This will likely prove to be his final start of the regular season, unless the Red Sox fail to clinch the division by Sunday.

Thompson, 23, made seven starts for short-season Lowell this season, surrendering seven runs (four earned) over 11.1 innings and striking out 11.

Since he had already accumulated 128.2 innings during his senior season with Oregon State before being selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round in the first-year player draft in June, Thompson only tossed a handful of abbreviated outings in his first exposure to professional ball. While it's hard to make many sweeping conclusions about the small sample, the 23-year-old might have pitched well enough in the New York-Penn League to warrant an assignment to a full-season affiliate to begin 2018.

Gonzales will start against the Angels in Anaheim on Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old will take the place of Mike Leake in the rotation, with the Mariners opting to shut the latter down for the season early due to a minor lat issue. Gonzales secured his first win of the season in his last start, a five-inning stint versus the Rangers on Sept. 12 in which he allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out six.

Paxton allowed three runs on six hits over 5.1 innings Tuesday while striking out five, but he didn't factor into the decision in a 6-3 win over the A's.

A four-run seventh inning by the Mariners took Paxton off the hook for his sixth loss of the year. The lefty is currently set to make one more start in the regular-season finale Sunday on the road against the Angels, but the team has been shutting down banged-up players like Felix Hernandez since it was eliminated from postseason contention, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Mariners did the same with the oft-injured Paxton.

Thompson (3-2) allowed one run on four hits and two walks across five innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Nationals. He struck out five.

Thompson scattered baserunners for the most part, with the only real damage coming in the form of a solo home run by Howie Kendrick in the second inning. He induced five groundball outs, including one timely double-play ball that helped him out of a jam. Thompson has come on of late, going at least five innings while allowing one run or fewer in four of the last five starts to lower his ERA to a solid 3.88. He is not expected to pitch again this year and will look to stake his claim to a spot in the 2018 rotation after a strong finish to the campaign.

Hamels (11-5) took the loss in Tuesday's game against the Astros. He allowed six runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three over three-plus innings.

Hamels was hit hard from the get-go Tuesday, as the veteran southpaw allowed four runs in the opening frame before recording the first out. The disastrous outing -- which was his shortest of the season -- snapped his streak of three consecutive quality starts and inflated his ERA from 3.80 to 4.10. He'll close out the regular season against the A's on Sunday.

Keuchel (14-5) picked up the win Tuesday against the Rangers. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.

The Astros' offense gifted Keuchel with a four-run lead as he entered the opening frame and the former Cy Young took it from there. The 29-year-old has now allowed only four earned runs over his past three starts (18 innings) and has lowered his ERA to a sparkling 2.90. Keuchel's eight punchouts also marked his highest strikeout total since late May. It was a strong performance in what was likely the ace's final start of the regular season.

Montgomery (9-7) delivered six one-run innings while earning the win Tuesday against the Rays, allowing six hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Montgomery, who hadn't pitched in 10 days, allowed a run in the first inning after loading the bases with nobody out. He escaped the frame and was outstanding the rest of the way, scattering four more baserunners while cruising to a quality start. Montgomery has now tossed back-to-back quality starts and will take a respectable 3.96 ERA into Sunday's start against the Blue Jays, as he tries to stake his claim to a place on the postseason roster.