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Miami Marlins News: Henderson Alvarez to have MRI on right elbow

By Travis Honeycutt |

Rut roh.

Following the Miami Marlins 8-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, reports began floating around the Twitterverse that the Marlins’ makeshift ace will need an MRI on his right elbow and shoulder.

Alvarez, a righty, started on Opening Day and made his second start of the year in yesterday’s defeat. With Jose Fernandez on the shelf, and the rest of the Marlins rotation filled with question marks, losing Alvarez would be absolutely devastating to a team that entered 2015 with such high hopes.

A first-time All-Star in 2014, Alvarez pitched to a 2.65 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 30 starts in his first full year with the Marlins.

Through his first two starts the 24-year-old owns a 4.50 ERA over 12 innings with just five strikeouts. Alvarez lasted only five innings in Sunday’s loss to the Rays after surrendering four runs on seven hits, including a three-run blast off the bat of David DeJesus.

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The other members of Miami’s rotation were solid in their first go-arounds, except for Mat Latos. Latos had a dreadful Marlins debut, giving up seven runs and getting pulled after two-thirds of an inning. Dan Haren gave the team a solid six innings of one-run ball his first start. Jarred Cosart did the same on Saturday. Tom Koehler allowed two runs in six innings in his season debut.

The season is obviously too young to accurately predict if these pitchers will keep up that success all season. The projections, however, haven’t been too kind to most Marlins starters not named Henderson Alvarez. At this point we don’t even know if Alvarez will miss any time, or even a single start, so let’s not assume the worst just yet. But on a day when the Marlins lost two position players, Jeff Mathis and Don Kelly to broken fingers, and finished their season opening homestand with a lousy 1-5 record, this Alvarez chatter hurts that much more.

The Marlins rotation is simply not built to survive without Alvarez, so hopefully nothing comes of this.

Marlin Maniac will keep you up to date as this situation develops.

Follow Marlin Maniac on Twitter @MarlinManiac for all your Miami Marlins news, opinion and analysis!

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