MLB Player News

Kluber (18-4) allowed two runs -- none earned -- on six hits and a pair of walks to pick up the win against the Mariners on Sunday. He struck out 10.

There were plenty of baserunners during the Klubot's outing, but he managed to limit the damage to just a two-run homer by Ben Gamel in the fifth inning. With another 10 whiffs on the ledger, the Cy Young Award winner is now 5-0 across five September starts with an absurd 47:3 K:BB and 0.71 in 38 innings. Kluber will look to finish the regular season on a high note when he makes his final start before the playoffs against the White Sox next weekend.

McCullers (arm) lasted 3.1 innings Sunday against the Angels, allowing two earned runs on four hits while walking one and striking out four. He didn't factor into the decision in a 7-5 loss.

Making his first start since Sept. 6 due to an arm injury, it's likely that McCullers was on a pitch count (he tossed 39 of his 63 pitches for strikes), especially given the team's upcoming playoff run. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old is now three strikeouts shy of tying his career-high 129 set as a rookie back in 2015 -- which is a number he should be able to eclipse in his final start of the season Saturday in Boston.

Montgomery will start either Tuesday or Wednesday's game against the Rays, George A. King of the New York Post reports.

Montgomery was originally slated to start Sunday before being scratched, and it wasn't immediately clear if he'd get another turn in the rotation before the season wrapped up. Though manager Joe Girardi didn't commit to the exact order, Montgomery would line up against the Rays either way. If he pitched Tuesday, though, the lefty could see a second start during the week on Sunday if the Yankees don't have anything meaningful to play for in the regular-season finale.

Cobb is likely to skip his last scheduled start of the season this coming Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cobb has fired a career-high 179.1 innings this season in what is his first full campaign since Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old right hander has provided mostly encouraging results, posting a 12-10 record, 3.66 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Cobb played the 2017 campaign on a one-year, $4.2 million contract, so it remains to be seen if he's tossed his last game in a Rays uniform.

Giolito (3-3) allowed just one run on five hits while striking out five without a walk over seven strong innings to pick up the win over Kansas City on Sunday.

Giolito's only blemish was a third-inning solo homer by Lorenzo Cain, as the 23-year-old righty cruised to an 8-1 win while staying under the 100-pitch mark at 98. Despite decreased fastball velocity due to fatigue, Giolito has confounded opposing offenses since being called up to Chicago with quality starts in five of seven outings. He's scheduled to take the mound for the final time this season Friday in Cleveland.

Perez (12-12) was the pitcher of record in the Rangers' 8-1 loss to the Athletics on Sunday, lasting 4.2 innings and yielding five runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out two batters.

After winning seven consecutive decisions and turning in a 3.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over that span, Perez has been charged with losses in two of his last three turns, with Sunday's defeat dealing the Rangers a significant blow to their slim hopes of capturing a wild-card berth. Perez looked like he would be on his way to a bounce-back performance with four scoreless innings to begin the start, but he unraveled in the fifth inning, ceding five runs before manager Jeff Banister pulled him from the contest. Perez will likely get a chance to finish the season with a winning record for the season when he likely takes the hill for a final time next weekend for a start against this same Oakland squad.

Stroman (13-8) allowed three runs on five hits and four walks across 5.2 innings to earn the win Sunday against the Yankees. He struck out two.

Stroman put men on base with regularity, but he managed to make it into the sixth inning with just one run on his ledger. He struggled at that point, allowing a solo home run to Aaron Judge and an RBI double to Greg Bird before his removal. Luckily he had the luxury of a large early lead and still qualified for his 13th win, furthering his career high in that category. Stroman's 3.01 ERA is also his career best for a full season, and he will look to put a punctuation mark on a great season Saturday against this same Yankees club.

McCullers (arm) has been confirmed as Sunday's starter against the Angels.

The team had already named McCullers the starter for the series finale. His inclusion on the lineup card simply provided final confirmation. McCullers will be making his first start since Sept. 6, and he only threw 76 pitches in that outing; he will presumably be on a pitch count Sunday, but the Astros have not announced any sort of hard cap.

Bundy (hamstring) is not expected to make another start this season, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Bundy recently experienced some spasms in his leg, which resulted in his scratch from Sunday's start. Manager Buck Showalter said after the game that the leg issue was actually a blessing, as he feels Bundy has thrown enough innings already this season.Bundy has thrown exactly 60 more frames than he did a year ago. The right-hander seemed to wear down late in the campaign, but he showed flashes of brilliance and will look to take another step forward in his age-25 season.

Berrios (13-8) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in Sunday's win over the Tigers. He struck out six and was credited with the win.

Berrios was sharp through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. The 23-year-old allowed four singles and a wild pitch in the frame, leading to a pair of Detroit runs. With his pitch count at 87 (59 for strikes), manager Paul Molitor opted to pull his starting pitcher from the game prior to the sixth inning. Berrios has just one quality start in his past five outings and will carry a 3.93 ERA into his upcoming rematch with the Tigers on Saturday.