#pitching-rotation

#pitching-rotation

The Guardians have transformed into some kind of unkillable movie monster. They just cannot be stopped. The good thing for the Red Sox, though, is that they don't need to worry about the Guards if they keep winning. With the non-Crochet portion of the rotation looking shaky, last night felt like a must-win and the Sox got it done, even if Crochet didn't quite look like his best and the bullpen made it hairy at the end.

The team will need to construct its best possible 26-man roster to survive the first two rounds of the playoffs, which are best-of-three and best-of-five, respectively. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani have to be the top rotation candidates for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, which doesn't leave room for Kershaw to contribute as a starting pitcher in the first two rounds at least.

Flaherty, at his best, is a perfectly viable Game 2 starter. But his performance this season has fluctuated as wildly as it did for the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year's playoffs, when he followed his two best starts with poor ones. He warrants only so much trust. With the emerging Melton, Holton and perhaps Brant Hurter, who is currently on the injured list with back soreness at Triple A, the Tigers will not lack for bulk-inning candidates.

Rookie righty Brad Lord has emerged as a reliable player for the Washington Nationals, boasting a 3.46 ERA and 1.246 WHIP in 35 appearances this season.

Clarke Schmidt likely has a UCL tear in his right elbow and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him for the rest of 2025 and possibly all of 2026.

Sean Manaea is expected to make his final rehab start from a strained oblique on Tuesday with Double-A Binghamton, throwing between 45 and 50 pitches.

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right foot sprain, further complicating the team's pitching depth.

Zach Plesac, after a challenging 2024 season, has signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals, looking to revive his baseball career with Triple-A Memphis.

Nothing in Chad Patrick's performance this season indicates a need for demotion, yet the impending return of injured pitchers complicates roster decisions for the Brewers.

"I was able to establish the fastball early. The sweeper was going in and out, was being able to land it when I needed to. I was getting ahead of guys and they were getting themselves out. So it was good."

Rodriguez sustained a lat strain while he was a prospect midway through the 2022 season, and shoulder discomfort sidelined him early last year.