MLB Player News

Javier has been confirmed as the starting pitcher for Game 3 of the ALCS against the Rangers, Adam Spolane of Sports Radio 610 reports.

Javier will be tasked with helping his club dig out of an 0-2 hole after Houston dropped both games at Minute Maid Park. The right-hander struggled with his command and issued five free passes during Game 3 of the ALDS against the Twins (five walks), but he managed to toss five scoreless innings on just one hit allowed while fanning nine batters.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Scherzer will start Wednesday in Arlington for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series matchup with the Astros, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Bochy had left open the possibility that Scherzer could pitch in relief in Game 1, but after Scherzer wasn't needed out of the bullpen in Sunday's 2-0 win, he's officially on tap for Game 3. Scherzer will have gone about five weeks in between starts, as he had to be lifted from his final regular-season outing Sept. 12 with a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder. It's not clear what kind of workload is planned for Scherzer, but he'll surely be limited to some degree following a 60-pitch simulated game last week.

Cecconi has been added to the Diamondbacks' NLCS roster.

Arizona has elected to add an extra arm to the bullpen for their series against the Phillies, with Cecconi taking Jace Peterson's spot. Cecconi held a 4.33 ERA and 20:4 K:BB over 27 innings covering four starts and three relief appearances for the Diamondbacks this season. He'll provide the bullpen with some length.

Verlander took the loss in Sunday's 2-0 match against the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks across 6.2 innings. He struck out five.

Verlander had a solid performance on the losing side of a pitchers duel, yet his team could not bail him out of the 12th loss of his postseason career. The veteran right-hander was victim to an RBI single in the second inning to give the Rangers an early lead, and a fifth-inning solo home run by Leody Taveras furthered the damage. However, Verlander hasn't lost a beat in his age-40 season, tossing his seventh quality start in eight games since September. So far this postseason, Verlander has pitched to a clean 1.42 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 12.2 innings with 11 strikeouts.

Montgomery allowed five hits and one walk across 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win in Sunday's 2-0 contest against the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS. He struck out six.

Montgomery faltered in his previous start against Baltimore in the ALDS, but he was able to right the ship in this one to help cover the bulk of the shutout. The southpaw faced a tense moment in the fourth inning with the bases loaded but managed to strike out Martin Maldonado to keep the Astros off the board. Sunday's win marked the second for Montgomery this October and his first playoff start with at least six strikeouts. He now has a 2.08 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 13 strikeouts across 17.1 innings this postseason.

Gray (forearm) is on the Rangers' roster for the American League Championship Series against the Astros, which begins Sunday in Houston, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The right-hander landed on the 15-day injured list with lower forearm tightness after his Sept. 25 start against the Angels, and he'll join the playoff roster after the Rangers advanced through the wild-card series and the ALDS. Max Scherzer (shoulder) also made the roster, potentially lining up Gray to start Game 4 on Thursday since Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi are pitching the first two games of the series.

Scherzer (shoulder) is included on the Rangers' roster for the American League Championship Series against the Astros, which begins Sunday in Houston, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Scherzer has been sidelined for the past month by a strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder, but he's made a quick recovery after initially being given an 8-to-12-week return timeline. The 39-year-old tossed a 60-pitch simulated game Wednesday and could have some workload limitations when he takes the mound. According to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, manager Bruce Bochy said there's a "good chance" Scherzer starts Game 3 on Wednesday, but the right-hander could also be used Sunday if the right situation presents itself.

Eovaldi will start Monday against Houston in Game 2 of the ALCS, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Eovaldi has been brilliant to start the postseason, allowing just two runs while striking out 15 batters and walking none across 13.2 innings. However, Eovaldi was lit up for four runs in just 1.1 frames during his most recent matchup with Houston in early September.

Valdez will start Monday against Texas in Game 2 of the ALCS, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Valdez had a tough time getting through his first appearance of the postseason, surrendering five runs over 4.1 innings against Minnesota in Game 2 of the ALDS. Valdez has been a reliable member of Houston's rotation with a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in the regular season, but momentum will not be on his side against the Rangers after three consecutive shaky outings.

Pfaadt is lined up to start Game 3 of the NLCS on Thursday against the Phillies, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Zac Gallen has been confirmed for Game 1 on Monday in Philadelphia and Merrill Kelly will follow him in Game 2 on Tuesday, then the Diamondbacks will likely turn to Pfaadt for Game 3 as the best-of-seven series shifts to Chase Field in Arizona. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander struggled in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series at Milwaukee before bouncing back to deliver 4.1 scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLDS versus the Dodgers.