-
Pablo Lopez SP | MIN
Twins' Pablo Lopez: Claims first postseason win
Lopez earned the win in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across 5.2 innings. He struck out three.
Lopez had a solid outing in his second career postseason start, mainly relying upon the defense behind him to take care of a bevy of outs on contact. Things began to break down a bit for the right-hander in the sixth inning after he allowed an RBI single to Kevin Kiermaier, but he was pulled with the lead intact. He had a 3.68 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 38 strikeouts across 29.1 innings in September heading into the contest.
-
Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Allows three runs in loss
Gausman took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and three walks across five innings in Tuesday's 3-1 defeat against the Twins in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. He struck out five.
Gausman entered the postseason with a 2.43 ERA across 29.2 innings in September, but he was unable to keep it rolling in Tuesday's loss. His weak spot proved to be Royce Lewis, to whom Gausman conceded two home runs in the first and third innings. The team ultimately decided to hand things over to the bullpen after only 73 pitches, which may leave the right-hander available if needed to cover a few outs later in the series. Gausman now has a 4.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 25.2 career postseason innings with 30 strikeouts.
-
Tyler Glasnow SP | LAD
Rays' Tyler Glasnow: Strikes out eight in losing effort
Glasnow took the loss in Tuesday's 4-0 defeat against the Rangers in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and five walks across five innings. He struck out eight.
Glasnow had his ups and downs in his 10th career postseason start, and he ultimately struggled to keep runs off the board. The blame cannot be placed solely on the right-hander, however, as the team also committed three errors behind him. While the 16 whiffs Glasnow compiled in the contest speak to some level of dominance against the Rangers lineup, he also struggled with his command, most notably throwing a wild pitch in the fifth inning that allowed Corey Seager to score. He now has a 5.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP with 61 strikeouts across 45.2 postseason innings in his career.
-
Jordan Montgomery RP | TEX
Rangers' Jordan Montgomery: Fans five to earn win
Montgomery allowed six hits across seven scoreless innings to pick up the win in Tuesday's 4-0 victory over the Rays in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series. He struck out five.
Coming off a season where he mustered a career-best 3.20 ERA across 188.2 innings, Montgomery carried that momentum with him into the postseason. The southpaw looked sharp in the contest, picking apart the Rays lineup to earn the first postseason win of his career. Tuesday's outing marked the fifth quality start in a row for Montgomery dating back to the regular season, and the fourth time in that sample in which he logged seven innings.
-
Max Scherzer SP | TOR
Rangers' Max Scherzer: Not included on wild-card roster
Scherzer (shoulder) isn't included on the Rangers' roster for their AL Wild Card Series versus the Rays that begins Tuesday.
Scherzer's absence doesn't come as a surprise, considering he recently had to pause his throwing program after not feeling as well as he had hoped during a light bullpen session. Working his way back from a teres major muscle strain in his right shoulder, Scherzer still hopes to be available at some point during the playoffs. It's not a guarantee that it will happen, however, and it might require the Rangers to make a deep postseason run.
-
Chris Bassitt SP | BAL
Blue Jays' Chris Bassitt: Not a lock to start Game 3
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday that while Bassitt is probably the leading candidate to start a potential Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series, he's not locked in, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Kevin Gausman will take the hill for Game 1 on Tuesday, while Jose Berrios gets the ball for Wednesday's Game 2. While Bassitt represents the logical choice to start Game 3, Schneider didn't rule out using the righty in relief in the first two games or perhaps taking a different approach to Game 3. Bassitt comes into the playoffs riding high, having struck out 12 over 7.2 scoreless frames in his final regular season start.
-
Alex Cobb SP | DET
Giants' Alex Cobb: Getting second opinion on hip
Cobb will get a second opinion on his troublesome left hip in the coming weeks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Cobb battled hip discomfort throughout the second half and finished the regular season on the 15-day injured list with what was diagnosed as a left hip impingement. He's trying the rest-and-rehab route at the moment but will seek out other possible treatment options. San Francisco holds a $10 million club option (or $2 million buyout) on the 35-year-old right-hander for the 2024 campaign.
-
Johnny Cueto SP | LAA
Marlins' Johnny Cueto: Not on wild-card roster
Cueto is not on the Marlins' roster for their NL Wild Card Series matchup against the Phillies that begins Tuesday.
Cueto logged only 52.1 innings (10 starts, three relief appearances) for Miami during the 2023 regular season while struggling to a 6.02 ERA. The 37-year-old right-hander carries a $10.5 million club option (or $2.5 million buyout) for the 2024 campaign.
-
Hyun-Jin Ryu SP | TOR
Blue Jays' Hyun Jin Ryu: Excluded from wild-card roster
Ryu is not on the Blue Jays' AL Wild Card Series roster, Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star reports.
Ryu wasn't going to get a start in the series and has made just one relief appearance in his entire career, so his exclusion from the roster isn't a surprise. He could potentially be added should the Jays advance to the ALDS.
-
Colin Rea SP | CHC
Brewers' Colin Rea: Gets spot on wild-card roster
Rea has made the Brewers' roster for their NL Wild Card Series matchup against the Diamondbacks.
The 33-year-old is essentially replacing Brandon Woodruff, who is in danger of missing the entire postseason because of a capsular injury in his right shoulder. Rea was terrific in a swingman role down the stretch for Milwaukee, delivering a 2.22 ERA and 25:6 K:BB over his final three starts and three relief appearances covering 24.1 innings.