MLB Player News

McClanahan (1-0) earned the win in Game 1 of the ALDS against Boston on Thursday after allowing five hits with three strikeouts and zero walks over five scoreless innings.

The 24-year-old was in control throughout the contest, as he scattered five singles and didn't allow a baserunner to reach third base. McClanahan was pulled at 82 pitches, and the Tampa Bay bullpen locked it down the rest of the way. The left-hander lines up to start Game 5 of the series on Wednesday, should it be necessary.

Strider was not included on Atlanta's NLDS roster against Milwaukee.

Strider made his big-league debut with 2.1 innings of relief during the final weekend of the regular season, allowing one run on two hits while walking one batter. Despite speculation that he may have a spot in the postseason bullpen, he'll be unavailable for the duration of the NLDS.

Albers was outrighted to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Albers spent the final weeks of the season at Triple-A, but the Twins have now removed him from the 40-man roster. The veteran left-hander appears in five games for Minnesota this year and posted a 7.58 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB over 19 innings.

Garcia will start Game 3 of the ALDS in Chicago, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

As expected, Garcia is the Astros' third starter this postseason after posting a 3.30 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 167:50 K:BB in 155.1 innings this season. He figures to pitch on somewhat of a short leash, considering his youth and the bullpen availability of Zack Greinke, although he did dominate the White Sox for seven innings with eight strikeouts June 18.

Lynn (0-1) allowed five earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four across 3.2 innings to take the loss in Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday against the Astros.

Lynn worked through a clean first inning, but he then allowed at least one earned run in each of his next three frames. The result was a five-run deficit for the White Sox and Lynn's shortest outing since June 26. It was also Lynn's first postseason start since 2014, though he may have the chance to rebound in Game 5, if necessary.

McCullers (1-0) allowed four hits and no walks while striking out four across 6.2 scoreless innings to earn the win in Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday against the White Sox.

McCullers dominated the White Sox by inducing 11 groundouts, while also earning 23 called strikes on 104 total pitches. He did not walk an opposing hitter for the first time in any outing this season, which helped him match his longest start since Aug. 25. With the effort, McCullers also built on his strong track record in the postseason, as he now has a 2.53 ERA with a 57:15 K:BB acoss 53.1 innings. McCullers is projected to start the final contest of the series, if necessary.

Verlander (elbow) is expected to receive a qualifying offer from the Astros this offseason, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Verlander could potentially have an interesting decision on his hands. If healthy, he'd almost certainly receive more than the qualifying offer, which was worth $18.9 million over one year last year. He'll enter next season as a 39-year-old coming off of Tommy John surgery, so it's much less clear what his value will be on the open market. If he rejects the offer and signs elsewhere, Houston will receive draft-pick compensation.

Keuchel was not included on the White Sox's ALDS roster.

Keuchel owns a 3.71 ERA in 63 career postseason innings, but he's clearly not the pitcher he was at his peak. He struck out just 13.2 percent of opposing batters this season (the lowest mark among qualified starters) en route to a 5.28 ERA. That's clearly not the sort of pitcher a team wants to start a playoff game, and the White Sox evidently didn't believe he offered much value as a long-relief option, either.

Rodon was included on the White Sox's ALDS roster, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Rodon dealt with a shoulder issue late in the regular season and wasn't guaranteed a spot on the ALDS roster, but he'll be available for the series against Houston. It wouldn't be surprising to see the southpaw claim a starting role during the postseason, especially after Dallas Keuchel was left off the roster for the best-of-five series.

Odorizzi isn't included on the Astros' ALDS roster, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Odorizzi made two starts late in the regular season after he returned from a foot injury, but he won't be part of the rotation for the ALDS. However, he'll be on the taxi squad and will be available to fill in during an emergency situation.