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Cade Povich SP | BAL
Orioles' Cade Povich: Undergoes elbow surgery
Povich underwent surgery Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Weyrich reveals that Povich had pitched through significant discomfort down the stretch of the regular season, and the decision was made to have surgery. It's a relatively minor operation as far as elbow surgeries go, and the Orioles anticipate Povich being ready to roll for spring training. The lefty held a 4.38 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 28:15 K:BB across 37 innings at the major-league level in 2026. Assuming health, he's likely in line to compete for a spot in the Orioles' rotation in 2027.
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Shane Drohan SP | MIL
Brewers' Shane Drohan: Expected to draw Game 4 start
The Brewers are expected to start Drohan on Thursday in Game 4 of the NLCS, Tom Verducci of SI.com reports.
Though he made 19 starts for the Brewers during the regular season, Drohan has not pitched in more than two weeks and is not stretched out to handle a regular starter's workload. Thus, it could be more of an opener assignment than a traditional start for the left-hander. Dustin May is a candidate to cover some innings out of the bullpen as the Brewers look to finish off the series sweep.
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Troy Melton SP | DET
Tigers' Troy Melton: Given clean bill of health
Melton is expected to have a normal offseason after a follow-up evaluation on his right forearm found no issues, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
Melton's season ended in mid-September due to right forearm tightness/fatigue. It's unclear whether he ever underwent imaging, but regardless, Melton is expected to be ready to go through his typical offseason routine. The young right-hander got a late start to the 2026 campaign because of an elbow strain, but he was excellent in 20 starts after returning, collecting a 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 94:37 K:BB over 114.1 innings.
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Robert Gasser SP | MIL
Brewers' Robert Gasser: Delivers five shutout frames
Gasser didn't factor into the decision in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing just three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five scoreless innings.
The rookie left-hander certainly wasn't dominant, but he kept Los Angeles off the board by scattering three singles, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Gasser didn't have a long leash and was pulled at 72 pitches (47 strikes), but that's not a major surprise in just his second postseason start. He's now surrendered only one run with a 6:2 K:BB across nine frames in those two outings, cementing his spot as the Brewers' No. 3 starter as they sit one win away from the World Series.
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Blake Snell SP | LAD
Dodgers' Blake Snell: Haunted by long ball
Snell was charged with the loss in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Wednesday, giving up four runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks across six-plus innings.
Jackson Chourio went deep on the first pitch of the game, but Snell then locked in with five scoreless frames and headed into the seventh having retired 14 consecutive batters. Having just been handed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, the left-hander then issued a leadoff walk to Andrew Vaughn before Jake Bauers finished an 11-pitch at-bat with a two-run homer, which was then followed by a Garrett Mitchell solo shot. Snell was dominant for much of the contest, but the homers that bookended his performance were a hole the Dodgers' struggling offense couldn't escape. He's lined up to start a possible Game 7 next week, but Los Angeles is on the brink of elimination while staring down a 3-0 series deficit.
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Davis Martin SP | CHW
White Sox's Davis Martin: Impacted by calf injury
White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Wednesday of Martin that it's "very clear that he was hindered and wasn't himself" due to a right calf injury, James Fegan of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Per Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Martin revealed late in the regular season that he battled calf discomfort "on and off" since April. It's difficult to determine how much the nagging calf issue affected Martin's performance, but he was a different pitcher the first two months of the season (2.00 ERA, 71:14 K:BB over 67.2 innings) than he was in the final four months (5.63 ERA, 51:32 K:BB in 78.1 frames). Martin was on the roster for both of Chicago's playoff series, but he made just one relief appearance, allowing two runs over one inning of work. The calf injury for Martin should heal with extended rest over the offseason.
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Griffin Jax SP | TB
Rays' Griffin Jax: Getting ball in Game 3
Jax will start Thursday in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Jax's lone appearance so far this postseason came in relief, as he allowed one run with four strikeouts over two innings in the Rays' ALDS Game 3 clincher versus the Yankees. Nick Martinez was the starter for that contest, but manager Kevin Cash will opt for Jax to take the ball Thursday. Jax hasn't covered five innings in a start in more than three weeks, so Tampa Bay will need its bullpen to handle a significant chunk of Game 3.
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Parker Messick SP | CLE
Guardians' Parker Messick: Allows three unearned runs
Messick was charged with the loss in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Rays on Tuesday, giving up three unearned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks across five innings.
Tampa Bay scored all three of its runs during the fourth inning, when a Jose Ramirez error extended the frame to break a scoreless tie. Messick certainly wasn't at his best as he threw just 47 of 82 pitches for strikes while putting on nine baserunners, but he was able to work around the traffic outside of the fourth inning. He's taken the loss in two of his three postseason outings while surrendering seven runs (four earned) with an 14:8 K:BB over 11.2 frames. Messick tentatively lines up to make his next start in Game 6, should it be necessary.
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Freddy Peralta SP | TB
Rays' Freddy Peralta: Fires six shutout frames
Peralta earned the win in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Guardians on Tuesday, allowing four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six scoreless innings.
It's the longest postseason start of the right-hander's career and is the eighth straight outing, dating back to Aug. 26, that he's surrendered one or no runs. Through two playoff starts this year, Peralta has given up one run on seven hits with a 9:3 K:BB across 10.2 innings. He lines up to start Game 6 in Tampa Bay, should it be necessary.
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Brandon Woodruff SP | MIL
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff: Throwing off mound
Woodruff (shoulder) threw roughly 30 pitches during a bullpen session Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Woodruff was cleared to begin throwing bullpen sessions over the weekend, and although he was a little sore after his first round of mound work, he said he was feeling good after Tuesday's session. The Brewers will likely aim for the veteran righty to face hitters within the next couple of days, which would keep the door open for him to pitch out of the bullpen if the Brewers advance to the World Series.