The Philadelphia Phillies have placed left-handed reliever José Alvarado on the 10-day injured list due to elbow inflammation, the team announced Sunday morning. The move is retroactive to July 7 and the injured list days count those off during the All-Star break, but Alvarado will still need to miss at least the first two series after the break.
There has to be some concern moving forward, too, with this being Alvarado's second IL stint this season due to elbow inflammation. All pitcher injuries are worrisome, obviously, but elbow and shoulder ailments top the list.
When Alvarado has taken the mound this season, he has been one of the best relievers in baseball. Through 26 outings, he has a 1.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 26 innings. Of course, adding to the concern here is the fact that he has allowed 12 hits and nine walks in 11 2/3 innings (1.80 WHIP; an allowed .389 on-base percentage) in his 12 appearances between IL stints.
The Phillies lost on Saturday, but have still been playing excellent baseball for a bit. They had won 23 of 30 -- including 13 consecutive road games -- before Saturday. The defending NL champs are currently 48-40, which is third place in the NL East and 12 games behind the Braves in the NL East. It's also good enough for the third and final NL wild-card spot and that's all they needed to win the pennant last season.
With Alvarado down, the Phillies have lefties Andrew Vasquez, Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm along with right-hander Jeff Hoffman as setup options for closer Craig Kimbrel.
