Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale started out sharp in Wednesday's ALCS Game 5 against the Houston Astros, but ultimately he took the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. Sale has put up an 8.00 ERA with a 1.78 WHIP in his three starts and nine innings this postseason. For his career, he's an unimpressive 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA in 10 playoff appearances. Sale could still regain his form as a top starter next season, but there's plenty of reason for pause as he continues to make his way back to full strength after Tommy John surgery.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols is in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday. The veteran will bat sixth against Atlanta Braves left-handed starter Max Fried. Pujols also started the first game of the series when Fried was on the mound for Atlanta. In 11 plate appearances, this season the 41-year-old has collected three hits while striking out twice. He had a pinch-hit single in Los Angeles' Game 4 loss on Wednesday.

The New York Mets announced in a tweet on Wednesday that starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (elbow) "underwent successful surgery yesterday to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow." In the same tweet, the Mets wrote that Carrasco "will resume baseball activities later this winter." Acquired as part of the Francisco Lindor trade, the veteran pitched to a 6.04 ERA and a 5.22 FIP in 53.2 innings while striking out 50 batters and surrendering 18 walks in his first season in New York.

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley will hit second in the team's crucial Game 5 matchup against the Red Sox in the ALCS. Brantley is 3-for-8 with three runs batted in since the series moved to Boston but will have a difficult matchup against left-handed starter Chris Sale. The veteran is hitting .306 during the postseason but is posting only a .219 mark against left-handed pitching during the regular season. Brantley is as professional a hitter as there is in the game but may not be the best DFS option for this Game 5 matchup.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer is starting Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. The 37-year-old pitched to a 2.46 ERA and a 2.97 FIP during the regular season while striking out 236 batters and surrendering 36 walks. In 12.1 innings this postseason, the veteran has struck out 16 batters while surrendering six hits, four walks, two earned runs, and a home run. Sunday will mark the veteran's third start of the year against Atlanta. In 12 innings against the National League East club during the regular season, Scherzer struck out 18 batters while giving up eight hits, four earned runs, and four home runs.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols is in the line lineup for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Saturday night. The Dodgers will take on the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Max Fried with Pujols starting at first base and batting sixth. The veteran hit .294 with a .336 on-base percentage and 13 home runs in 146 plate appearances during the regular season against left-handed pitchers. He's collected two hits in four postseason plate appearances for the Dodgers this year.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale made his second start of the postseason in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros Friday, and once again he did not last long. Sale recorded just eight outs, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts. While he looked better than his one-inning appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays in the division series, he still threw predominantly fastballs and sliders, and remains a major question mark for Boston going forward. He stands to get another start in the series, unless manager Alex Cora decides to go another direction.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander David Price is not on the roster for the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, according to the team. Price did make an appearance on the divisional series roster but couldn't get into a game. The veteran had an average season, posting a 4.03 ERA with just 58 strikeouts across 73.2 innings. He was in a relief role most of the season, making just 11 starts. He was a bit better as a starter, pitching to a 3.92 ERA across 41.1 innings. Right-hander Evan Phillips and lefty Justin Bruihl are new additions to the roster that will likely pitch out of the bullpen. Phillips produced a 3.38 ERA in eight appearances, and Bruihl had a 2.89 ERA in 21 games during the regular season.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi is on the team's roster for the American League Championship Series. The 31-year-old pitched to a 4.21 ERA and a 4.48 FIP in 104.2 innings during the regular season while also registering 91 strikeouts and 34 walks. The veteran wasn't on the team's roster for the Division Series, but he'll give the Astros another starting option against the Boston Red Sox alongside Luis Garcia, Framber Valdez, and Jose Urquidy. Odorizzi made two starts against Boston during the regular season, striking out a total of eight batters in a combined eight innings while surrendering seven hits, six earned runs, four walks, and two home runs.

Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale will start for the team in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros on Friday. Sale pitched to a 3.16 ERA, a 3.69 FIP, 52 strikeouts and 12 walks in 42 2/3 innings during the regular season. The veteran allowed five earned runs, four hits, a home run and a walk while striking out two batters in an inning during his start in the second game of the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays. While he's yet to face the Astros this season, Sale has pitched to a 2.20 ERA in 65 1/3 career innings against the club while recording 86 strikeouts and surrendering 13 walks.

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley went 3-for-6 with two runs batted in as the Astros advanced to the ALCS thanks to their 10-1 victory over the White Sox. The veteran's power may be compromised a touch after dealing with a knee injury the past month but Brantley collected hits in each game of the ALDS. Brantley is as professional hitter as they come and slashed .368/.368/.421 in the series with four runs batted in. He should continue to post high batting average totals in DFS tournaments in the next round against the Red Sox.

Atlanta Braves catcher Stephen Vogt (sports hernia) underwent surgery for a sports hernia, the team reports. The 36-year-old veteran had been sidelined since early September. He was originally placed on the injured list with a designation of hip inflammation. The Braves announced that they expect for him to be ready for Spring Training next year. He was acquired by the Braves in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in July as the Braves were looking for help to fill in for an injured Travis d'Arnaud. Vogt went on to slash just .167/.241/.244 over 26 games with the team. He'll have a chance to compete for a backup catcher role in Atlanta next year.

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria could not have had a bigger first hit of the postseason in Monday's NLDS Game 3 1-0 win over the Dodgers, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a strikeout. Longo crushed a fifth-inning Max Scherzer fastball over the center field wall for what would be the winning run. The veteran is just 1-for-10 in the postseason to this point, but the Giants can forgive that as long as the hits he does collect have a big impact.

Tampa Bay Rays 41-year-old designated hitter Nelson Cruz told reporters last week that he plans to continue his career after this season. He is set be a free agent for the second straight offseason after the 2021 postseason concludes. Last offseason, he signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Rays in July. Cruz showed no signs of aging at the plate this year. Over 140 games, he slashed .265/.334/.497 with 32 home runs, 86 RBI and 79 runs. He ranked in the 94th percentile in hard-hit rate (52.5%) and in the 93rd percentile in average exit velocity (92.9 mph).

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (elbow) is set to be a free agent this offseason. However, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are likely to extend a qualifying offer to the two-time Cy Young winner. Verlander is 38 years old. He only pitched one game in 2020, then underwent Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entirety of the 2021 season. In his last full season in 2019, he went 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP on the way to his second AL Cy Young award. If Verlander were to turn down a qualifying offer, the Astros would receive draft pick compensation.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols will be making his first postseason start in seven years on Monday night. He's starting at first base and batting seventh in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants. Cody Bellinger is starting the game on the bench. The Giants have left-hander Alex Wood on the mound on Monday. The right-handed Pujols posted a .939 OPS against lefties this year while the left-handed Bellinger had an abyssal .383 OPS in same-handed matchups. Pujols has yet to step up to the plate in this series. We'll see if he's able to help the Dodgers take a 2-1 lead.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes replaced Garrett Richards (hamstring) on the playoff roster after Richards suffered a hamstring strain during his daily conditioning routine. Barnes threw an inning in Friday's Game 2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing a hit and two walks and striking out one batter. Manager Alex Cora bemoaned the heavy early season workload for Barnes, but Boston has little choice but to count on him for the rest of this series at least. Richards will not be eligible to return to the roster until the World Series, should Boston advance that far.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale continued his recent string of rough outings Friday, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk in just one inning of work against the Tampa Bay Rays. The big blow was a grand slam off the bat of part-time player Jordan Luplow. Sale struck out two batters. He will not be used as a traditional reliever going forward due to health concerns, but it would be hard to trust Sale as a DFS play in any situation.

Washington Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar re-signed with the club, agreeing to a one-year deal. Escobar appeared in the majors for the first time since 2018 this past season, slashing .288/.340/.404 in 319 at-bats with four homers and three steals. Escobar was lauded for his leadership abilities, particularly providing an example for young infielders Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia. He will enter 2022 without a guaranteed starting job, and fantasy managers may want to look to other options at draft time.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price was added to the team's 26-man roster for the NLDS. Price wasn't part of the team's roster for the Wild Card game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He and starting pitcher Walker Buehler were added to the roster prior to the NLDS while outfielders Zach McKinstry and Luke Raley were optioned to the minors to trim the roster down to 26. Price made 39 appearances (11 starts) for the Dodgers this year and went 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He'll be a bullpen arm for the team in the NLDS.