Cliff Lee has MRI on Left Elbow, Placed on DL

UPDATE, Tuesday 5/20 at 11:00 PM: According to the official Philadelphia Phillies Twitter, Cliff Lee was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a grade 1-2 left elbow strain. A corresponding roster move will be made at a later date.

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(Original Post, 5/20 6:30 PM):

Jim Salisbury of CSN is reporting that Phillies left hander Cliff Lee had an MRI on his left elbow today. The team has not received the results back from the MRI yet. Lee has reportedly been pitching through elbow discomfort (flexor pronator strain) for three weeks now. The injury is likely the reason for Lee’s drop in velocity in his recent starts. Even with the elbow discomfort Lee still managed a 3.27 ERA in his last 5 starts. He is scheduled to pitch on Friday against the Dodgers.

This is could be a crippling blow to the Phillies chances of reaching the post season. Lee has no history of elbow problems but with the recent string of pitchers going under the knife for Tommy John surgery its hard not to fear the worst when hearing this news. Lee is sporting a 4-4 record with a  3.18 ERA this season and has been the teams ace. The Phillies should have the results back from the MRI soon.