Jake Arrieta may shut it down due to bone spur in elbow

Jake Arrieta is unsure if he will be able to continue pitching through his elbow injury.

Arrieta has a bone spur in his elbow that has been affecting his performance. He allowed five earned runs and seven hits over three innings in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 9-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night. He was asked after the game whether he planned to continue pitching through the injury this season and said he was unsure.

Asked if he plans to continue pitching with the bone spur, Jake Arrieta said he “doesn’t want to make a decision” at this moment. He plans to take tomorrow’s off day and then maybe have a conversation Tuesday. #Phillies

— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 12, 2019

The Phillies have been limiting Arrieta’s pitch count since July (he hasn’t thrown more than 88 in a game since then). He’s held opponents to two runs or fewer in four of his last seven starts, but he just hasn’t been able to throw as many innings as he typically would. Sunday’s outing was his briefest of the season.

Arrieta has known he would likely need surgery on his elbow during the offseason. He may opt to undergo the procedure sooner than that.

The 33-year-old is in the middle of a three-year, $75 million contract he signed with the Phillies in March 2018.