It had to happen sometime.
Phillies right hander Vance Worley has been placed on the DL after months of pitching with bone chips in his right elbow. Worley is expected to have surgery to remove the bone chips within the next 10 days.
The 24 year-old pitcher has been a shell of his 2011 self this season, posting a 6-9 record with a 4.90 ERA in 23 starts this season. Over his last eleven starts, Worley has an inflated 5.40 ERA while posting a 6.75 ERA in his last five starts.
After his 4 1/3 inning outing where he allowed four earned runs on nine hits, Worley said that his arm is not to blame for his struggles this season.
"It hasn’t affected me," said Worley. "I’m just not getting pitches
where I need to get them. It’s all about pitch location. That’s why I
got beat tonight and pulled from the game. I don’t feel anything at all.
I’m just having a tough stretch."
Yeah right, kid.
Worley should have been shut down weeks ago. He's only at 133 IP this season, but with bone chips and struggling starts, it wasn't smart to keep a young pitcher in the game like this.
Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.
