Jake Arrieta could face disciplinary action from Major League Baseball because of some threatening remarks he made following Saturday night’s game, but the Philadelphia Phillies have much bigger concerns with one of their best starting pitchers.
Arrieta hit two batters with changeups in the fifth inning against the New York Mets, and he told reporters after the game that he “lost feel for everything.” According to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic, that could have something to do with a bone spur Arrieta has in his pitching elbow, which will likely require surgery. The Phillies have been optimistic that the procedure can wait until the offseason, but that is no longer looking certain with Arrieta struggling.
Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Sunday that Arrieta has informed the Phillies he believes he can pitch through the injury.
Source confirms Jake Arrieta has informed #Phillies that he thinks he has a bone spur in his elbow but that he believes he can pitch through it and take care of it in offseason. Unclear whether recent performance, or last night in particular, changed that. @Ken_Rosenthal first.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) July 7, 2019
Arrieta, who allowed 11 hits and five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, did not acknowledge having an elbow injury after Philly’s 6-5 loss.
“Overall, I feel all right,” he said. “But we’ll see. Overall, I feel pretty good. We’ll see in the next couple of days.”
The 33-year-old says he does not have an exam scheduled for his elbow, but that could change during the All-Star break. This would not be the first time Arrieta has dealt with a bone spur, as he underwent season-ending surgery in August 2011 when he was with the Baltimore Orioles to address a similar issue.
The Mets certainly didn’t think an injury was the reason Arrieta hit multiple batters in an inning, as Todd Frazier was ejected for the way he went after the right-hander when he was plunked. Arrieta later threatened Frazier while speaking with reporters.
Arrieta is now 8-7 on the year with a 4.67 ERA. He has a 6.63 ERA in his last seven starts, and it certainly appears his elbow injury has become a significant issue.
