Phillies rotation takes harder hit with prolonged loss of Zach Eflin

When the Phillies put Zach Eflin on the 15-day disabled list with a rough case of Chase Utley Knee, it was the second stage of an injury epidemic that had already claimed Aaron Nola. However, it was just for two weeks, and patellar tendinopathy is an issue Eflin has apparently been through before. There were not a lot of distant stares out the window in regards to this issue.

One Jeremy Hellickson injury scare later, and we’re all a bit more sensitive. The injury bug, I’m imagining a human-size mosquito with a bat that goes for your kneecaps, can strike at any moment. Who knows what toilet it will crawl out of next. Today, we got our answer.

Out for the—wait, wha

[Huge mosquito flies through window, bashes my knee in with a bat, flies away]

Damn it, injury bug! Some day we’ll have the technology to stop you!

To use a phrase that I assumed was the title of the Phillies’ 2013 DVD yearbook, It’s worse than we thought. Eflin’s perfectly manageable, not at all concerning knee problem that once stole Chase Utley from us for weeks - weeks - at one point isn’t the only thing wrong with him. I get it, it’s mid-August; by now, baseball has eaten through a lot of players’ protective outer layers. But now, not only do we miss out on a month hand a half worth of further exposure to an exciting young hurler, but the Phillies rotation has to plug another hole.

Eflin, apparently, wasn’t feeling as pessimistic as Pete Mackanin, who said it was “unlikely” his starter would be back:

“But we’re not eliminating (the idea of coming back this year) yet. We’re going to wait until we hear back from the studies and go from there.”

—Zach Eflin

That means Adam Morgan is on the bus from IronPig Country, returning to Philadelphia having thrown 50.1 innings with a 3.04 ERA and having been recently named the International League Pitcher of the Week. Should Eflin’s season be over, he’ll finish 2016 with a 5.54 ERA, 1.82 SO/W, and -0.3 WAR in 63.1 IP. He also threw two complete games, including one shut-out.

Now we’re in a bit of a tough situation here, but I think as long as we’re all rational, of clear mind and conscious wits, and all of our firearms are cleaned and loaded, I think we have a pretty good chance at taking this human-sized mosquito out. It’s him or us at this point. Make your shouts count. Good luck, everyone. I love you.