MLB Player News
-
Harrison Bader CF | SF
Phillies' Harrison Bader: Departs Game 1 with injury
Bader left Saturday's NLDS Game 1 matchup versus the Dodgers with a strained left hamstring, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Nick Castellanos pinch-hit for Bader in the seventh inning and took over in right field, with Brandon Marsh moving over to center. Bader had a sacrifice fly and a hit by pitch before his exit. The outfielder will have an extra day to get healthy since the Phillies and Dodgers don't play the second game of the series until Monday.
-
Freddy Peralta SP | NYM
Brewers' Freddy Peralta: Claims Game 1 win
Peralta earned the win during Saturday's Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cubs after allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over 5.2 innings.
It seemed like Peralta was going to be in for a long day after he allowed Michael Busch to hit a leadoff home run on Peralta's fourth pitch of the game, but the 29-year-old righty quickly settled in afterward. Nine runs of support from the Brewers' offense after two innings allowed him to work under minimal pressure for the rest of the afternoon, and he did so while tying a franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game. If the Cubs take one of the next two games from Milwaukee, Peralta will surely be in the conversation to start Thursday in Game 4.
-
Matthew Boyd SP | CHC
Cubs' Matthew Boyd: Can't escape first inning
Boyd took the loss in Saturday's NLDS Game 1 against the Brewers, giving up six runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out one batter over two-thirds of an inning.
Boyd took the mound on three days' rest and with a 1-0 lead Saturday, but he saw it quickly evaporate after giving up consecutive doubles to Jackson Chourio (hamstring), Brice Turang and William Contreras to lead off the inning. Boyd went on to allow three more runners to reach base and eventually score, but a fielding error from Nico Hoerner prevented them from counting against the left-hander's ledger. Considering how much Boyd struggled while pitching on shorter rest, the Cubs will likely give him the proper four days before sending him back on the bump, putting him in line to start Game 4 on Thursday (if needed).
-
Jackson Chourio CF | MIL
Brewers' Jackson Chourio: Battling hamstring tightness
Chourio exited Saturday's NLDS Game 1 matchup against the Cubs due to right hamstring tightness.
Chourio injured his hamstring while running to first base on an infield single in the second inning -- the same hamstring he had strained earlier in the season that forced him to miss the entire month of August. He's slated to undergo further evaluation after Saturday's contest, at which point more may be known regarding his status for the rest of the series. Before his removal, Chourio became the first player in MLB history to record three hits in the first two innings of a postseason game.
-
Jackson Chourio CF | MIL
Brewers' Jackson Chourio: Exits with injury
Chourio was removed from Saturday's NLDS Game 1 matchup against the Cubs with an apparent leg injury, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.
Chourio came up limping after legging out an infield single -- his third hit of the game -- in the second inning of Saturday's contest, and he was immediately lifted for a pinch runner. The nature of his injury is currently unknown, but it's worth noting that the young outfielder missed more than a month during the regular season due to a strained hamstring.
-
Nick Castellanos RF | SD
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Not in Game 1 lineup
Castellanos isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.
After slashing .250/.281/.385 across 57 plate appearances in the final month of the regular season, Castellanos will retreat to the bench for the first game of the Phillies' postseason run. Max Kepler will start in right field and bat seventh.
-
Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Out of Game 1 lineup
Smith (hand) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Smith said before Saturday's contest that his fractured right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to return behind the plate at some point in the NLDS, but the Dodgers will keep him out of the starting nine for at least one more game. Ben Rortvedt will catch for starter Shohei Ohtani while Smith rests.
-
Clayton Kershaw SP | LAD
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Included on NLDS roster
Kershaw is included on the Dodgers' NLDS roster.
Kershaw wasn't on the roster for the NL Wild Card Series against Cincinnati, but he'll now officially be available to pitch against the Phillies. The Dodgers have already confirmed Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow as their starting arms for the NLDS, so Kershaw will move to the bullpen to provide aid to a Dodgers bullpen that has struggled to limit runs recently.
-
Matthew Boyd SP | CHC
Cubs' Matthew Boyd: Starting Game 1 of NLDS
Boyd will start against the Brewers on Saturday in Game 1 of the NLDS, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Boyd threw just 58 pitches across 4.1 innings during his start against the Padres in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday, leaving him fresh enough to take the mound again Saturday after only three days of rest. The 34-year-old southpaw struggled against the Brewers in the regular season, giving up nine earned runs on 12 hits and eight walks while striking out five batters in 10.1 frames across his two starts against them.