MLB Player News

As a Fantasy owner, I have to admit I was relieved to hear about Yu Darvish's sciatica. Not that I wish discomfort on anyone, but if a nerve irritation in his back was causing him pain in his lower half down the stretch, it completely explains why he was so wild -- and, thus, inefficient -- over his final three starts, issuing 12 walks in only 16 innings.

Improved control was a big reason why I was planning to rank Darvish as my No. 2 starting pitcher in 2014, projecting him to go in the second round. His strikeout ability is just too good to pass up even if he's prone to occasional bouts of wildness. But if those bouts are severe enough that you'd have to worry about him going less than six innings four times during a six-start stretch, as happened in September, I'd want to recommend someone like Max Scherzer or Adam Wainwright instead. Above all, a second-round pitcher has to be consistent, no matter how many strikeouts he's getting.

Turns out three of those four starts were injury-related. Take them away, and Darvish averaged 3.2 walks per game in 2013 -- a full walk better than his 2012 rate. That won't lead the league or anything, but for a pitcher with his stuff, it's good enough.

An MRI revealed no structural damage for Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, according to ESPN.

Darvish said he dealt with a back injury down the stretch, but was able to pitch. He did receive an injection to relieve pain in the area. The team will see Darvish again in November to see how he's progressed. Darvish is expected to be 100 percent by spring training. 

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday to lead his team to a 4-0 win over the Indians in the Wild Card game. He allowed eight hits and one walk while striking out five and stranding runners in scoring position in three of the six innings he completed.

Cobb also threw seven scoreless innings in his final regular-season start, giving him a 13 2/3-inning shutout streak heading into the next round. The Rays will face the Red Sox in the American League Division Series, starting with Game 1 in Boston Friday. The Red Sox won 12 of the 19 regular-season games between the two teams.

Rangers starter Yu Darvish pitched late in the season with sciatica, a lower back injury, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Although Darvish was less efficient than usual -- he never made it to the sixth inning in his last three starts -- he was still effective. He posted a 2.40 ERA with 37 strikeouts against 14 walks in his final five starts (30 innings), so the back injury shouldn't be anything to worry about going forward.

Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon will start Game 1 of the ALDS, according to the Bay Area News Group.

Colon will be followed by Sonny Gray, Jarrod Parker and Dan Straily. A.J. Griffin is dealing with a "health issue," and was not listed among the starters. 

The Tigers have announced Max Scherzer as the club's Game 1 starter in the playoffs. 

Scherzer will be followed by Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. Scherzer finished the season with a 2.90 ERA in 214 1/3 innings. 

Rangers young starter Martin Perez took the mound at home in Monday's attempt at becoming the American League's second wild card team. Perez was beated by Tampa Bay's David Price, who went the distance.

The rookie had a fantastic year and took the loss to finish at 10-6 with a 3.62 ERA. Perez gave up three runs on four hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings on the outing. He struck out five and threw 74 pitches on his final start of the season.

The 22-year-old should get plenty of Rookie of the Year consideration for his season that saw him finish with a 1.34 WHIP and 84 strikeouts over 124 1/3 innings. The Rangers are eliminated and Perez is certain to have a rotation spot waiting for him next year.

Indians pitcher Justin Masterson still expects to be limited to pitching out of the bullpen as Cleveland readies to host the wild card game in the American League, MLB.com reports. But manager Terry Francona could be looking at Masterson as a possible closer.

"We're not there yet," said Francona. 'We'll see how things go."

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Alex Cobb will be the Rays' starting pitcher in Wednesday's American League Wild Card game against the Indians, should the Rays secure the league's second wild card berth. First, the Rays would have to defeat the Rangers in a tiebreaker game on Monday.

Cobb successfully returned from a two-month layoff after getting hit in the head by a line drive, posting a 2.41 ERA in nine starts since his disabled list stint.

CBSSports.com Senior Baseball Columnist Scott Miller reports that Martin Perez will be the starting pitcher for the Rangers in Monday night's tiebreaker game. If the Rangers defeat the Rays, they will advance to Wednesday's American League Wild Card game against the Indians.

In his first season as a regular member of the Rangers' rotation, Perez has gone 10-5 with a 3.55 ERA.