MLB Player News

Cole (8-5) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out five over 6.2 scoreless innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Thursday.

Cole's last regular-season outing was one of his best, as it was one of three scoreless starts he produced this year. He threw 101 pitches (64 strikes), seeing a much higher workload than opposing starter Corbin Burnes (69 pitches). Cole will also get more time to recover, as this win secured the AL East title and a spot in the ALDS for the Yankees. Cole is now at a 3.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 99:29 K:BB over 95 innings across 17 starts this season. The right-hander's next start is likely to be Game 1 of the ALDS.

Burnes (15-9) allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out nine over five innings, taking the loss versus the Yankees on Thursday.

The lone run he gave up was on a Giancarlo Stanton solo home run in the second inning. Burnes was lifted at 69 pitches (46 strikes), likely to keep him fresh for the Orioles' wild-card round matchup, and the Orioles' bullpen was unable to keep this game close. Burnes concludes the regular season on a high note, having allowed just five runs (four earned) while adding a 31:8 K:BB over 30 innings across five starts in September. He posted a 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB over 194.1 innings across 32 regular-season starts.

Wacha didn't factor into the decision Thursday versus Washington, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.

Three of the four runs charged to Wacha came on a Luis Garcia homer in the third inning. The veteran right-hander hadn't allowed more than two runs in four starts coming into Thursday, posting a 1.99 ERA in that span (22.2 innings). Wacha will finish a solid campaign with a 13-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB across 166.2 innings.

Ginn (1-1) picked up the win Thursday against Texas, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks across 5.1 innings. He struck out two.

The 25-year-old rookie logged his first MLB victory Thursday in front of a sold-out crowd for the Athletics' final game at the Oakland Coliseum. Ginn's now surrendered two or fewer runs in back-to-back starts, and he owns a 4.45 ERA across six starts (30.1 innings) this season. Ginn also tallied a 25:6 K:BB as a starter.

Anderson (10-15) took the loss Thursday against the White Sox, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks across 4.1 innings. He struck out two.

Anderson blanked Chicago through four innings, but his start went downhill in the fifth frame. Five of the six batters Anderson faced reached safely ,and he was knocked out of the contest after allowing a two-RBI single to Andrew Vaughn and a two-RBI double to Lenyn Sosa back-to-back. With three games left on the Angels' schedule, Anderson's 2024 season has ended. He'll finish the campaign with a 3.81 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and a 142:73 K:BB across 179.1 innings while losing his last four decisions.

Flexen (3-15) picked up the win Thursday against the Angels, allowing five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across 6.1 scoreless innings.

Flexen helped the White Sox avoid its 121st loss of the season Thursday, logging his first scoreless start of more than five innings this season. The outing dropped Flexen's ERA under 5.00, bringing it to 4.95 across 160 innings. The 29-year-old isn't scheduled to pitch again in 2024, and he'll exit the campaign on a high note. Flexen logged a 3.52 ERA and a 40:17 K:BB across his final nine starts.

Gausman (14-11) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over six innings in a 6-1 victory over the Red Sox. He struck out three.

It's been a disappointing campaign overall for Gausman, but the 33-year-old righty still tied his career high in wins with a sharp performance in his last outing. The quality start was his 16th of the season, and Gausman gave up three earned runs or less in his last nine trips to the mound, posting a 2.22 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 43:20 K:BB through 56.2 innings over that stretch. The loss of strikeouts is a worrying sign -- his 21.4 percent K rate in 2024 is a huge drop from the 31.1 percent mark he posted the year before -- but he's still expected to head into spring training next season as one of the veteran anchors for Toronto's rotation.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday that Skubal is "unlikely" to pitch in Sunday's regular-season finale versus the White Sox if the Tigers have already clinched a wild-card spot but still have seeding at stake, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

The Tigers would still have the American League Cy Young frontrunner take the hill Sunday if the team has not yet locked up a playoff berth by then. However, with the Tigers' magic number down to three, any combination of Detroit wins or Minnesota losses over the next three days would punch the Tigers' ticket to the postseason prior to Sunday. Hinch seemingly prefers not to have Skubal take the hill if the four through six seeds in the American League postseason remain unsettled heading into Sunday, instead preferring to save his ace for Game 1 of the wild-card round, which begins Tuesday.

Stroman (10-9) took the loss Wednesday, coughing up six runs on 10 hits over 3.1 innings as the Yankees fell 9-7 to the Orioles. He struck out one without walking a batter.

The veteran right-hander's contact-heavy approach betrayed him, as the O's began the game with six straight singles and grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning that they would never relinquish. Stroman is limping to the finish line on the regular season, posting a 6.59 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 21:6 K:BB over his last six appearances and 27.1 innings, and he seems likely to get shifted to the bullpen in the playoffs.

Eflin came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 9-7 win over the Yankees, giving up three runs on four hits and five walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out one.

The Orioles staked Eflin to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and were ahead 7-1 by the top of the fourth, but the right-hander's control issues prevented him from lasting the required five innings to qualify for an easy win. The five free passes were a season high for Eflin, and equaled the total from his six prior starts combined. He wraps up the regular season with a 10-9 record, 3.59 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 134:24 K:BB through 165.1 innings.