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Right-hander Brandon Morrow will be placed on the Toronto Blue Jays disabled list today, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Morrow suffered a left oblique strain during Monday night’s game against the Washington Nationals.
Tests on Morrow confirm left oblique strain. He will be placed on DL tomorrow. #BlueJays
— Gregor Chisholm (@gregorMLB) June 12, 2012
Morrow left Monday’s game before recording an out. Following his ninth pitch of the game, Morrow signaled for trainers and eventually exited. Chisholm reports there is no immediate timetable available for Morrow’s return.
On the season, Morrow has been one of the game’s best pitchers. Over his 13 starts spanning 77 2/3 innings, Morrow is 7-4 with an ERA and WHIP of 3.01 and 1.004. Morrow posted 7.8 SO/9 and 2.8 BB/9 with a league-leading three complete game shutouts.
Chisholm lists right-hander Jesse Chavez and lefty Brett Cecil as the two most-likely candidates to replace Morrow in the Blue Jays rotation. Toronto won’t need a fifth starter until June 18 or 19.
Chavez appears to be the early favorite. The 28-year-old has appeared in one game for the Blue Jays this season, while spending a majority of the year pitching for their Triple-A affiliate. Over his 11 starts in Triple-A, Chavez has maintained an ERA and WHIP of 3.68 and 1.052 with 8.5 SO/9 and 1.8 BB/9.