MLB Player News

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was hung with a series-ending loss Tuesday, giving up three earned runs on four hits and two walks in six-plus innings while striking out nine in his team's 3-2 Game 4 defeat against the Cardinals, sending the Dodgers home with a 3-1 loss in the NLDS.

Kershaw (0-2) pitched six excellent innings and brought a 2-0 lead into the seventh. However, the Cardinals collected two quick singles before Matt Adams launched the Los Angeles starter's 102nd pitch over the right-field fence. It was a bittersweet end to a Cy Young-caliber season for Kershaw.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn will be an option for a potential Game 5 start in the NLDS or possibly a start in Game 1 of the NLCS if Adam Wainwright is unavailable due to soreness or stiffness, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

"Just making sure that Waino feels right," manager Mike Matheny said Tuesday as the Cardinals prepared to face the Dodgers in Game 4. "We’ve got two guys on regular rest; it wouldn’t be a stretch to have either one of them go. There’s no question that Waino has been fighting it. I haven’t made that a secret, and neither has he. It’s all going to come down to how he feels. The likelihood of him saying, ‘I can’t go’ is very slim. But it is a possibility that something might not feel right."

Wainwright surrendered six earned runs in Game 1 of the NLDS while pitching just 4 1/3 innings. Lynn surrendered two runs in six innings while striking out eight in Game 3.

The Dodgers have announced their starters for the final two games of the National League Division Series against the Cardinals, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The team will roll with Clayton Kershaw on short rest for Game 4 on Thursday. He has a 0.96 ERA in three career postseason starts on 3-4 days rest. Zack Greinke, who was penciled in for Game 4, will instead start Game 5, if needed.

The Phillies sent reliever Sean O'Sullivan outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He posted a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings in the majors with Philadelphia this season.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn struck out eight over six innings  of a no-decision Saturday, as his team fell 3-2 to the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Lynn allowed a run to score on a groundout, and another on a single from Adrian Gonzalez in the third inning. He was charged with two runs on seven hits and two walks. Of his 114 pitches, 73 were strikes.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke twirled a gem but wasn't a factor into the decision in Game 2 of the National League Division Series at home against the Cardinals on Saturday.

Greinke fired seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He was pulled for J.P. Howell in the eighth inning, who allowed a game-tying two-run home run to Matt Carpenter, knocking Greinke out of the decision. Greinke struck out seven and walked two in a 3-2 win. He tossed 103 pitches, 71 of which were strikes.

In 31 career starts at Dodger Stadium, Greinke has posted a 2.24 ERA with a 209:40 L:BB ratio over 205 1/3 innings. He has yet to allow more than four earned runs in a start at home for the Dodgers.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had an uncharacteristic night Friday against the Cardinals.

Kershaw allowed eight runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out 10 and did not issue any walks. Kershaw allowed one run early, giving up a solo home run in the first inning. He settled in over the next four innings before giving up another run in the sixth. Things then fell apart in the seventh.

Kershaw loaded the bases on three singles to open the frame. After a single brought a run home, Kershaw allowed a bases-clearing double to Matt Carpenter. Kershaw would leave the game at that point. One more run woud be charged to Kershaw after he left the game. Kershaw was saddled with the loss following the outing. 

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright didn't factor into the decision Friday, giving up six earned runs on 11 hits and one walk in just 4 1/3 innings while striking out five in his team's 10-9 win over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Wainwright pitched a pair of scoreless innings before giving up two runs each in the third, fourth and fifth frames. He gave up multiple hits in each inning, with the last hit coming on a two-run home run to A.J. Ellis to put the Dodgers up 6-1. However, the Cardinals offense was able to get to Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, ultimately taking the lead in the seventh.

Wainwright is likely to pitch Game 5 Thursday if the series extends that far, though the Cardinals could choose to bring him back on short rest for Game 4 Tuesday if faced with an elimination scenario.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg lasted just five innings in his postseason debut Friday. 

Strasburg proved to be hittable during the outing, giving up eight hits to the Giants. Strasburg attempted to limit the damage, as all eight hits were singles. Despite that, the Giants were able to strike in both the third and fourth innings. With men in scoring position, Joe Panik singled home a run in the third. Brandon Belt managed to do the same with a man on second the following inning.

Strasburg finished allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out two and walked one during the outing. Strasburg was saddled with the loss.

Dodgers pitcher Dan Haren said the tentative plan is for him to be ready to pitch in relief in Game 3 of the NLDS in case Hyun-Jin Ryu's start is cut short, according to the Los Angeles Times. Ryu is working his way back from a shoulder injury.