As if the Miami Marlins needed any more things to wrong, they just lost two of their starters. Late Friday night, MLB.com's Glenn Sattell reported that the Marlins have placed Mat Latos and Henderson Alvarez on the 15-day disabled list.
Latos has inflammation in his left knee, and Sattell says Latos "has had ongoing knee problems." Latos took a line drive off the left ankle on May 16, and as he hopped, he may have aggravated the knee as well as the ankle.
Sattell quoted new Marlins manager Dan Jennings saying this about Latos: "We just need him to take some time to rebuild the strength in that knee and come back to his 100-percent level."
Meanwhile, Alvarez pitched five innings Friday night and allowed four runs to the Baltimore Orioles. The inflammation in his right shoulder that has bothered him for two years now got to him in just his second start off a month-long stint on the disabled list from April 13 to May 17.
Both pitchers have struggled. Latos is 1-4 with a 6.12 ERA in nine starts while Alvarez has lost all four of his starts with a 6.45 ERA. Jennings, though, still feels optimistic about their potential returns to the rotation:
"It's tough. Mat's a top-of-the-rotation kind of guy in any rotation, and Hendu is an All-Star. So now someone's going to get an opportunity to step up. Hopefully it will be a boost to us, maybe even a spark."
According to Sattell, the Marlins will call up two relievers from Triple-A New Orleans: Andre Rienzo and Vin Mazzaro. They may need another starter come Tuesday, and either Justin Nicolino or Jose Urena could come up from New Orleans and take that start.