PHOENIX — Baltimore Orioles starter Zach Eflin will be placed on the injured list and shut down for at least a week with a low-grade lat strain, manager Brandon Hyde said after his club’s 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
The decision comes a day after Eflin left his start, a win in the opening game of this series on Monday night. He received an MRI on Tuesday, and though the team was optimistic about the injury, before Tuesday’s loss, the Orioles still decided to give the veteran some rest.
In fact, the right-hander woke up feeling good on Tuesday, a day after leaving a game the series opener because of shoulder fatigue.
“Really encouraging news that he felt really good waking up this morning,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before the loss. “Didn’t feel the soreness as bad, and those are positive signs there. … We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Eflin gave up only one run and four hits over six innings but his velocity dipped in the sixth. The 30-year-old mentioned the fatigue to Hyde between innings, which was enough to shut him down for the night.
The Orioles defeated the Diamondbacks 5-1 that night, and Eflin threw 73 pitches. He is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA through three starts this season.
After the win Monday, Eflin said he was “pretty optimistic” the issue wouldn’t be a long-term setback, adding that his exit, he thought, was “precautionary.”
Baltimore already has lost key reliever Albert Suarez for a couple of months after the right-hander was moved to the 60-day injured list Monday because of a shoulder injury.
Eflin was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA over nine starts for the Orioles last season after being acquired at the trade deadline in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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