MLB Player News

Gausman was removed from Sunday's start against the Red Sox due to a laceration on his right middle finger, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

Gausman allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and zero walks across three frames before he exited with the injury. The right-hander won't factor in the decision for his final outing of the regular season, and he will finish with a 12-10 record in 31 starts to go along with a 3.35 ERA and 205:28 K:BB. The finger issue is unlikely to be a serious concern, though it's unclear if the injury will affect his availability for the wild-card round, which begins Friday.

Kershaw will start the final game of the regular season Wednesday against the Rockies, but it will be an abbreviated outing, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

With it being a home start against the Rockies, Kershaw is still a great bet for a strong performance, but it's unclear how many innings he will pitch. Kershaw has a 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 40:7 K:BB in 36 innings this month.

Gray will not make another start this season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

He would have been on turn to take the ball Tuesday or Wednesday, but Cory Abbott, Paolo Espino and Erick Fedde will be the starters for the road series against the Mets. Gray doesn't turn 25 until December, but this was undoubtedly a rough first full season in the majors. The 6-foot-1 righty posted a 5.02 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 154 strikeouts across 148.2 innings while going 7-10 in 28 starts.

Kikuchi is the leading candidate to start Wednesday in Baltimore, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

It's Alek Manoah's turn in the rotation, but the Jays will seemingly save him for the playoffs. Kikuchi's strikeouts spiked after a move to the bullpen Aug. 17, as he has 31 strikeouts over 16.2 innings. However, he has remained ineffective at preventing runs, logging a 5.40 ERA and 1.56 WHIP while surrendering four home runs and walking nine across that stretch.

Manoah is unlikely to pitch the final game of the regular season Wednesday in Baltimore, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

While Manoah is on turn, Yusei Kikuchi is the likely starter in what would amount to a bullpen game. The Jays will likely save Manoah, who is fifth in the majors with 196.2 innings, for what they hope is a long postseason run.

Miley (2-2) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Saturday against the Reds.

Miley hadn't pitched in a week due to oblique tightness, and he made his return in a relief role for the first time this season, working through two innings on just 12 pitches without allowing a hit or a walk. Injuries have limited the lefty to only 37 innings this year, though he's pitched well with a 3.16 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Miley will likely stick in a relief role in the last few days of the season, then aim to get healthy for a bigger workload in 2023.

Smyly did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing one run on four hits over three innings against Cincinnati. He struck out two.

The only damage against Smyly came on a two-out Kyle Farmer single in the top of the third to score Spencer Steer. However, the left-hander needed 62 pitches to get through three innings and was relieved by Adbert Alzolay to begin the fourth. Smyly has now allowed one run or fewer in each of his last three starts, registering 15 strikeouts to only three walks over that stretch.

Bello (2-8) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks over four innings against the Blue Jays. He struck out four.

Bello allowed an RBI single and a two-run double from Danny Jansen en route to putting Boston in a 4-0 deficit through three innings. Prior to this outing, the righty had allowed three runs or fewer in seven straight starts. The 23-year-old has pitched six innings or more just twice during his rookie campaign.

Stripling (10-4) earned the win Saturday without allowing a run on four hits over six innings against Boston. He struck out three.

Stripling did not allow an extra-base hit in his quality outing against Boston. The righty recently went through a five-start stretch where he allowed six home runs with a 4.45 ERA over 28.1 innings, but he has bounced back by allowing only one run with no homers over his last two outings. The 32-year-old is outstanding at home with a 2.47 ERA over 69.1 innings compared to a 3.60 ERA over 65 innings on the road.

Castillo (4-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and one walk over six innings against the Athletics. He struck out eight.

Castillo allowed an RBI single from Jordan Diaz to open the scoring in the first inning but was otherwise without blemishes. The righty has been inconsistent over his last 10 starts, allowing four runs or more three times and one run or fewer five times. The 29-year-old's 2.99 ERA during 2022 is the best of his six-year career.