Arrieta injured as Phillies win
Jake Arrieta released his 97th pitch of the night on Tuesday and immediately grimaced and grabbed the back of his right leg. 

“It kind of felt like I got shot,” Arrieta said, following a much-needed 4-1 win over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. 

 For a club already dealing with depth issues in the starting rotation, losing Arrieta could be a significant problem amid a push for the postseason. He said he believes he suffered a Grade 1 strained hamstring. He had a similar injury in 2017 while pitching with Chicago and missed 17 days. 

 Will he be ready for the postseason, assuming the Phillies clinch a berth? 

 “There’s no question in my mind about that,” he said. “I think I can be back sooner than that. We’re going to play this smarter than we did in [2017].” 

 The Phillies entered Tuesday already with injury concerns with right-handers Zack Wheeler and Spencer Howard. Wheeler is dealing with a nail issue on his right middle finger while Howard is working through stiffness in his right shoulder. 

“It’s just another chapter in our story that we have to continue to write and play out the remainder of the season,” Arrieta said. “Nobody said it was going to be easy, right? It seems like this is pretty much rock bottom for us after playing such great baseball for [an 11-game] stretch, going [10 of 11]. It just shows you how quickly this game can flip flop.” 

 The Phillies have a difficult schedule ahead that includes a pair of doubleheaders. It's unclear now how the rotation will look for the final two weeks of the season. Potential starting options include Ranger Suarez, Ramon Rosso, and Cole Irvin. 

 “I’m just going to focus on tomorrow,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I think it’s easier because we’ve lost some starters obviously, and it’s just easier to focus on tomorrow. But it will be a challenge, definitely.”

The Mets and Phillies continue their three-game set on Wednesday with Wheeler squaring up with righty Jacob deGrom.

Roster additions
The Phillies signed first baseman Greg Bird and catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Minor League contracts, the club announced late Tuesday night. Both players were added to the 60-man player pool before the Sept. 15 deadline, so they will be available for the postseason.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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