MLB Player News

Kelly did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over six innings in a 4-2 victory over the Brewers. He struck out seven.

Kelly allowed only one extra-base hit in the form of a double from Victor Caratini and allowed his only run on an RBI groundout to tie the game in the fifth inning. The righty had struggled in the seven starts prior to this one, posting a 5.32 ERA over 44 innings. Still, it was a strong season for the 33-year-old, who finished with a 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 177:61 K:BB across 200.1 innings.

Williams (3-5) earned the win Wednesday against the Nationals. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out six over six innings.

The right-hander didn't officially make the start, but he did handle the majority of the workload on Wednesday after replacing opener Mychal Givens to begin the second inning. Williams retired the first 10 batters he faced before allowing a one-out single to Cesar Hernandez in the fifth, who then came in to score on a homer from Alex Call on the very next pitch. Williams would only allow two more batters to reach base over his final two innings. He has not allowed more than two runs in any appearance since July 2, carrying a 2.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts to only 10 walks over that stretch. That run propelled him to a strong final line for 2022, with a 3.21 ERA and 84:23 K:BB across 89.2 innings.

Gomber allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out four batters over three innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Gomber had been coming out of the bullpen since late July, but he was given the opportunity to start the Rockies' season finale. The right-hander allowed just one run in three frames but wasn't stretched out, so he departed after 46 pitches. Gomber's second season in Colorado was his worst so far in the majors, as he finished with a 5.56 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 95:34 K:BB over 124.2 innings.

Watkins allowed one earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out three across 3.1 innings in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays. He did not factor into the decision.

With nothing to play for, the Orioles opted to limit Watkins' workload in his final start of the season -- particularly after he needed 27 pitches to complete his first inning of work. He successfully suppressed runs for much of the campaign, though he had a 7.59 ERA across his final 21.1 innings and four starts. Watkins concluded the season with a 4.70 ERA and a 63:30 K:BB across 105.1 innings.

Kershaw (12-3) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, pitching five innings and allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters.

The game was merely a playoff tune-up with no impact on seeding for the Dodgers, but Kershaw still completed five innings. He gave up only one hit -- Ezequiel Tovar's first major-league homer -- and fanned nine batters while throwing 53 of 72 pitches for strikes. Kershaw showed no signs of slowing down in his 15th big-league season, finishing with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB over 126.1 innings. His next start is almost certain to come in Game 1 or 2 of the NLDS.

Waldichuk (2-2) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Angels.

Waldichuk ended his season in impressive fashion, turning in the longest start of his career. He posted a 7.15 ERA across his first five big-league starts, but he allowed only one earned run across his final 12 frames and two starts to end the campaign on a positive note. The end result was a 4.93 ERA and 33:10 K:BB across 34.2 innings, and Waldichuk should be a strong candidate to begin the 2023 season in the Oakland rotation.

Valdez (17-6) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two hits and one walk over five shutout innings against Philadelphia. He struck out 10.

Valdez was electric on Wednesday, running through hitters with a mix of curveballs, sinkers and cutters over the course of five innings. Eight of his 10 strikeouts came on swings and misses, and he produced a total of 15 swinging strikes on the afternoon. It was a great bounce-back effort for Valdez after allowing 10 runs over his previous two starts. It was also just the second time since July 3 that the left-hander recorded double-digit strikeouts in an outing.

German (2-5) took the loss Wednesday after throwing 4.1 innings against the Rangers, surrendering four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six batters.

German was ineffective, giving up four runs while allowing eight batters to reach base. The outing was only the third time all year that he gave up multiple home runs, as he allowed two solo shots in the contest. German will finish the regular season with a 3.61 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while punching out 58 batters over 72.1 innings in 15 appearances including 14 starts.

Ashcraft (5-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs on four hits and five walks over 5.1 innings against the Cubs. He struck out four.

After beginning the game with a 1-2-3 first inning, Ashcraft ran into trouble in the second, allowing three consecutive batters to reach base before giving up a three-run homer to David Bote. The right-hander mostly cruised through the next three innings before allowing four of the first five batters to reach base in the sixth and eventually being charged with four more runs. Ashcraft allowed four or more runs in each of his final three starts to go along with seven walks and seven strikeouts.

Varland (1-2) earned the win Wednesday, allowing zero runs on four hits and zero walks over five innings against the White Sox. He struck out five.

In the final game of the season, Varland recorded his first career win with a dominant performance against the White Sox. For the first time this season, Varland did not walk a batter, and he fanned five, his second-highest strikeout total of the season. After recording a 3.06 ERA in 126.1 innings across the minors this season, Varland struggled to begin his big-league career to the tune of a 4.71 ERA entering Wednesday, but the scoreless effort dropped his ERA to 3.81 and gives him positive momentum heading into the offseason.