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Hunter Greene SP | CIN
Reds' Hunter Greene: Allows four runs in loss
Greene (4-7) surrendered four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out six over five innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Cardinals.
The Cardinals tagged him for one run in the second inning and three more in the third, and that was enough for Greene to take the loss. The right-hander allowed 16 runs (15 earned) over 26.2 innings across his last five starts of the campaign. He finished the year with a 4.82 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 152:48 K:BB through 112 innings across 22 starts. It's a small step back from his 4.44 ERA in 125.2 innings in 2022. The hard-throwing 24-year-old is still likely to feature in the Reds' rotation in 2024, but he could benefit from further development of his changeup to improve his arsenal -- opposing hitters slugged .500 against that pitch and .515 on his fastball in 2023.
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Adrian Houser SP | SF
Brewers' Adrian Houser: Tosses scoreless outing
Houser (8-5) allowed three hits and two walks over five scoreless frames Sunday, striking out five and picking up a win over the Cubs.
Houser worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and steered clear of danger for the rest of his outing. It was his first scoreless start since May 24. He's given up two or fewer earned runs in five of his last six starts, registering a 3.21 ERA during that span. Houser turned in a 4.12 ERA and a 96:34 K:BB through 111.1 innings during his 2023 regular season.
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Miles Mikolas RP | WAS
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Matches season high for strikeouts
Mikolas (9-13) allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out 10 without walking a batter over seven innings to earn the win Sunday over the Reds.
Mikolas matched his season high with 10 strikeouts. He logged quality starts in his last two outings of the season after an inconsistent campaign overall, which saw the veteran right-hander post a 4.78 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 137:39 K:BB across 201.1 innings. Mikolas is under contract for 2024, so he should be a mid-rotation starter for the Cardinals after enduring the worst of his five years with the club in 2023.
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Rich Hill SP | KC
Padres' Rich Hill: Secures extra-inning win
Hill (8-14) picked up the win in Sunday's 2-1 extra-inning game against the White Sox. He allowed one run on two hits while striking out three over two innings.
This was Hill's second appearance out of the bullpen since going unclaimed on waivers Sept. 14, and his first win since he was starting for the Pirates in June. The southpaw wrapped his season with a 5.41 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 146.1 innings with 129 strikeouts. The 43-year-old Hill enters free agency with uncertainty regarding his future; however, his 3.38 ERA in a limited sample of 10 innings as a reliever may be enticing enough to teams looking to bolster their bullpen with a multi-inning arm.
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Connor Seabold RP | KC
Rockies' Connor Seabold: Throws four innings
Seabold allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over four innings in Sunday's win against the Twins. He struck out five and did not factor in the decision,
Seabold coughed up two runs in the second inning before turning in three scoreless frames. He entered the contest after Brent Suter threw one inning as the opener. Seabold yielded 13 runs over 9.2 MLB innings after the calendar turned to August and ended his 2023 campaign with a 7.52 ERA across 87.1 frames.
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Jose Butto SP | SF
Mets' Jose Butto: Ends season with loss
Butto (1-4) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Phillies.
Butto earned his third quality start of the season but was once again let down by his offense. The right-hander allowed two or fewer runs in all but two of his nine appearances (seven starts), but he came away with just one win. He finishes 2023 with a 3.64 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 38:23 K:BB over 42 major-league innings.
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Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Punches out nine
Ober allowed one run on two hits over 6.2 innings during Sunday's loss to Colorado. He struck out nine and did not factor in the decision.
Ober was terrific aside from coughing up a solo shot to Nolan Jones in the fourth inning. Ober matched his season high with nine punchouts while forcing a season-high 22 whiffs. He gave up two or fewer runs in each of his final four starts of the regular season, registering a 2.08 ERA and a 26:3 K:BB during that stretch. Ober ended the year with a strong 3.43 ERA and 146:29 K:BB through 144.1 innings.
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George Kirby SP | SEA
Mariners' George Kirby: Finishes year in fine form
Kirby (13-10) allowed three hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over six shutout innings to earn the win Sunday versus the Rangers.
While the Mariners came up short in pursuit of a playoff spot, Kirby still took the hill and turned in a gem for his final start of the year. He won his last three starts of the campaign, allowing just three runs over 19 innings in that span. The 25-year-old right-hander ends 2023 with a strong 3.35 ERA as well as a 1.04 WHIP and 165:19 K:BB over 190.2 innings across 31 starts. His 0.9 BB/9 was by far the best among qualified starters this season -- Tampa Bay's Zach Eflin was next closest with a 1.2 BB/9.
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Lucas Giolito SP | SD
Guardians' Lucas Giolito: Allows five runs in loss
Giolito (8-15) took the loss Sunday, allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks over five innings in a 5-2 loss against the Tigers. He struck out four.
Giolito has now given up at least three runs and three walks in his past three outings, as command issues have impacted his ability to limit scoring lately. The right-hander concludes his season with a 4.88 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 184.1 innings with 204 strikeouts while pitching for the White Sox, Angels and Guardians. As Giolito heads to free agency this winter, interested teams may be willing to bet on his strikeout upside in hopes he can improve upon his 3.6 BB/9.
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Dane Dunning SP | SEA
Rangers' Dane Dunning: Unlucky loss Sunday
Dunning (12-7) allowed one run on four hits and a walk while striking out four over 3.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Mariners.
Dunning was working on short rest, but it was the Rangers' lack of offense Sunday that led to the loss. The only run in the 1-0 game came after Dunning loaded the bases in the fourth inning and Martin Perez allowed an inherited runner to score on a groundout. Dunning had two quality starts and four outings with mixed results over his last six starts of the regular season, and he'll end with a 3.70 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 140:55 K:BB through 172.2 innings across 35 appearances (26 starts). The right-hander likely won't be available for a start in the wild-card round versus the Rays.