MLB Player News

Verlander pitched five innings and did not factor into the decision Friday night in Game 1 of the World Series, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five in a 6-5 loss to the Phillies.

Verlander was given a five-run advantage by the Houston offense, but he surrendered six hits and five runs in his last two innings and was unable to keep the lead. After three perfect innings to begin the game, the 39-year-old seemed on his way to another gem before the Phillies broke through and made consistent hard contact. Coming into the World Series with a 10-1 record and 1.64 ERA at home during the 2022 regular season, Verlander was expected to give the Astros a great chance at taking an early lead in the series. Instead, he has now given up five runs or more in two of his three playoff starts, a slightly alarming trend for the future Hall of Famer.

Nola pitched 4.1 innings and did not factor into the decision during Friday night's Game 1 of the World Series, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five in the 6-5 win over the Astros.

Nola fell victim to a stellar performance by Kyle Tucker, who tagged him for two home runs and four RBI. Other than Tucker, the Astros were just 4-for-16 with two walks against the 29-year-old righty. Nola was able to settle down after the three-run homer in the third inning made the score 5-0, retiring the next six batters and giving the Phillies a chance to make a comeback. Although the Phillies were able to come away with the win, Nola has now given up six runs and failed to reach the sixth inning in back-to-back starts.

Stone put up a 1.16 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 33:8 K:BB across 23.1 innings spanning six Triple-A starts to close out the 2022 campaign.

His full-season numbers are simply spectacular, as Stone put up a 1.48 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 12.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 across three levels of the minors. The fact that he was even better after his second promotion than he had been in Double-A inspires even more confidence in the right-hander, who flew under the radar despite putting up great numbers in 2021 as well -- probably because he's an older prospect. Stone turned 24 in mid-October and doesn't seem to have much left to prove in the minors, so he could very well find his way onto the Dodgers' staff at some point next season.

Falter was left off the Phillies' roster for the World Series on Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Falter started Game 4 of the NLCS and allowed four runs over two-thirds of an inning, and he won't be on the active roster for the World Series. The 25-year-old was a solid swingman for Philadelphia this season with a 3.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 74:17 K:BB across 84 innings.

Wainwright agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Cardinals on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 41-year-old informed the organization earlier this week he plans to continue his career in 2023, and it didn't take long for the two sides to comes to terms. Wainwright finished the campaign with a 3.71 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 143:54 K:BB over 191.2 innings, though he dealt with some timing issues in his pitching motion down the stretch and surrendered 23 runs across six starts in September and October. The right-hander will attempt to right the ship ahead of spring training as he enters his 18th MLB season.

Bednar experienced back tightness while playing in the Arizona Fall League, and the Giants opted to shut him down Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 22-year-old's reps in Arizona had added importance since he landed on the injured list in June and missed the rest of the season, but the back issue will bring an early end to that development period. Bednar will now have a few months to get healthy for the start of spring training in February.

Wainwright informed the Cardinals on Wednesday that he intends to return to the team for another season in 2023, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

After being rumored to be set for retirement following the 2022 campaign, Wainwright looks poised to stick around for his 19th season in St. Louis. He's scheduled for free agency this winter, but the two sides are likely to come to terms quickly on a new deal. The right-hander struggled down the stretch during the 2022 season, but he produced a solid 3.71 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 143 strikeouts over 191.2 frames in 32 starts. Following St. Louis' early postseason exit, the 41-year-old noted in a post on his personal Twitter account that he had been suffering from some timing issues in his pitching motion for a while, which could explain his shakiness late in the year. Wainwright ranks second in franchise history for starting pitchers with a 42.4 WAR, and his 195 career wins place him third behind Bob Gibson and Jesse Haines on the Cardinals' all-time leaderboard.

McCullers didn't factor in the decision during Sunday's 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk while striking six over five innings.

McCullers had a shaky start in Game 4, allowing the Yankees to go 8-for-23 and score runs in three of the five innings he pitched. The 29-year-old righty did not record a clean inning until his final inning before he was relieved by Hector Neris. Sunday's start was much different than his ALDS start against the Mariners that included six scoreless innings and only two hits. McCullers now boasts a 2.45 ERA with 13 K's over 11 innings, and his next opportunity to pitch will be in the World Series against the Phillies.

Suarez pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning and earned the save Sunday during Game 5 of the NLCS in a 4-3 win over the Padres.

Suarez relieved David Robertson with a one-run lead in the ninth after a pair of walks put the go-ahead run on first, but he was able to get Austin Nola to fly out for the final out, sending the Phillies to the World Series. The 27-year-old had started Game 3 and pitched five innings just two days ago, so it was a gutsy performance to close out the series in Game 5. Suarez has now pitched nine innings in the postseason and has allowed just two runs while striking out eight.

Wheeler did not factor in the Game 5 decision Sunday during the 4-3 win, allowing two runs on three hits and zero walks while striking out eight in six innings against the Padres.

In the first postseason of his career, Wheeler delivered his fourth straight quality start of the playoffs. His first blemish came on a solo homer from Juan Soto in the fourth, and his second run allowed was scored after he was removed from the game in the seventh inning following a leadoff single. The 32-year old righty has been a dominant force on the mound in the postseason, amassing 25.1 innings and allowing just five runs (1.79 ERA) while striking out 25. His next start will come in the World Series against the Astros -- Wheeler did not face them in the regular season.