MLB Player News
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Michael King RP | SD
Padres' Michael King: Could start in Game 3
Manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Yu Darvish will start in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers and King will come in "soon thereafter," Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Padres will roll with Dylan Cease and Darvish for Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS before likely turning to King for Game 3. King started in Game 1 of the wild-card series against Atlanta on Tuesday, and he was credited for the win after pitching seven scoreless innings while allowing five hits and striking out 12 batters. The Padres' rotation suffered a setback with Joe Musgrove being ruled out for the NLDS due to a UCL injury in his right elbow, which will require Tommy John surgery during the offseason.
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Joe Musgrove SP | SD
Padres' Joe Musgrove: Ruled out for NLDS
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Friday that Musgrove (elbow) will not pitch in the NLDS versus the Dodgers, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
It's not a surprise after Musgrove had to depart his wild-card start against Atlanta in the fourth inning due to right elbow tightness. Shildt did not reveal the results of an MRI on Musgrove's elbow and refused to speculate on the pitcher's potential availability for the NLCS and beyond, should the Padres advance.
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Luis Severino SP | NYM
Mets' Luis Severino: Taking ball in Game 2
Severino will start Sunday in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
The Mets are going with Kodai Senga (calf/triceps) to start what's likely to be a bullpen game in Game 1 before turning to Severino on normal rest in Game 2. Severino tossed six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) in his wild-card series outing versus the Brewers. He'll be opposed by Cristopher Sanchez.
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Kodai Senga SP | NYM
Mets' Kodai Senga: Named NLDS Game 1 starter
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced Friday that Senga (calf/triceps) will start Saturday for Game 1 of the NLDS in Philadelphia, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
It's not a huge surprise that Senga will be on the roster, but Mendoza throwing him right into the fire in Game 1 is a bit of a shocker. Senga has started just one game all season for the Mets due to shoulder, triceps and calf injuries, and that start came two-and-a-half months ago. Mendoza didn't reveal how long he thought Senga could go Saturday, but he's not close to stretched out for a normal workload. The righty threw 15 pitches in a rehab start back on Sept. 21 and 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Monday. David Peterson and Tylor Megill are candidates to eat some innings after Senga in Game 1.
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Tarik Skubal SP | DET
Tigers' Tarik Skubal: All set for ALDS Game 2 start
Skubal (hamstring) will start Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS versus the Guardians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Skubal was lifted from his wild-card series start against the Astros after six scoreless innings and 88 pitches due to some hamstring cramping, but he was never in any danger of missing his first start of the ALDS. Tyler Holton will be the opener for the Tigers in Game 1 before Skubal takes the ball in Game 2 on five days rest.
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Cristopher Sanchez SP | PHI
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Garners NLDS Game 2 start
Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced Friday that Sanchez will start Sunday in Game 2 of the NLDS versus the Mets, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Zack Wheeler will get the ball in Game 1, which is no surprise, but Sanchez being the choice over Aaron Nola for Game 2 is a twist. The Phillies' thinking behind the decision is that Sanchez has pitched much better at home (2.21 ERA) than on the road (5.02 ERA), and they can also be more aggressive with their bullpen in Game 2 since an off day follows. Nola will get the ball for Game 3 in New York.
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Chris Sale SP | ATL
Braves' Chris Sale: Throws bullpen session
Sale (back) threw a bullpen session Friday and would have been on the NLDS roster had Atlanta advanced, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Sale had to be scratched from the last game of the regular season and was left off the wild-card series roster because of back spasms. However, it would appear the injury isn't major, and the left-hander should have a normal offseason. Sale is the National League Cy Young favorite after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225:39 K:BB over 177.2 innings.
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Spencer Strider SP | ATL
Braves' Spencer Strider: Team not setting timeline yet
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Friday that the club will proceed deliberately with Strider's (elbow) rehab and are not setting a timeline for the pitcher's return yet, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Strider underwent an internal brace procedure in mid-April to address UCL damage in his pitching elbow. While the internal brace operation is less invasive than Tommy John surgery (which Strider had previously), the team will still be very cautious and will avoid rushing the right-hander back too quickly. Anthopoulos indicated Friday that it's possible Strider is back by Opening Day of next season, but his return to the rotation could be pushed back as far as early June.
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Jack Flaherty SP | LAD
Dodgers' Jack Flaherty: Bumped to Game 2
Flaherty will start in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Padres on Sunday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
The Dodgers originally planned to start Flaherty in Game 1, but they are instead opting to start Yoshinobu Yamamoto to allow Yamamoto five days rest before potentially pitching in a decisive Game 5. Flaherty had a solid regular season, but he did struggle a bit down the stretch by allowing nine earned runs across his final 14 frames with a 14:9 K:BB.
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto P | LAD
Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Now starting Game 1
Yamamoto is starting Game 1 of the NLDS against San Diego on Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Yamamoto was originally slated to start Game 2, but he'll flip spots with Jack Flaherty. If the series goes a full five games, Yamamoto is projected to pitch in the decisive contest. He's pitched well in his return from a triceps injury, allowing two or fewer earned runs in three of four starts.