Eric O’Flaherty has been pitching with a visible knot in his left elbow, a knot that was indifferent to his desire to keep pitching and help his team. On Friday, the veteran reliever and the Braves conceded as much when O’Flaherty was placed on the 15-day disabled list with neuritis in his pitching elbow.
O’Flaherty, 31, will have the elbow examined to determine if surgery of some kind is necessary or even a viable option to help alleviate the condition he’s deal with for much of the season and that worsened in recent weeks. He was 1-4 with a 6.91 ERA and .320 opponents’ average in 39 appearances, including an 8.24 ERA in his past 23.
“He’s just got junk going on in there, can’t straighten (his arm) out and he’s been trying to pitch through it,” said Braves interim manager Brian Snitker, who said O’Flaherty tried to continue pitching by compensating. “It just isn’t working. You’re altering delivery and stuff like that. So it’s better, I think, for his career and everything, to get it looked at and see if he can’t get it taken care of.”
Neuritis is defined as inflammation of a peripheral nerve or nerves, usually causing pain and loss of function.
DL’ing O’Flaherty opened a spot for pitcher Julio Teheran coming off the DL to start Friday against the Nationals.
The Braves were desperate for lefty relief help when they trade for O’Flaherty with a week left in spring training, sending a modest amount of cash to the Pirates in the exchange. They knew he wasn’t close to being the dominant reliever he was in his first stint with the Braves before blowing out his elbow in May 2013 and having Tommy John surgery, but the Braves believed O’Flaherty still could help them on the field and off.
He’s impacted younger pitchers with leadership advice, and with the example he set with tireless work habits, but on the mound O’Flaherty hasn’t been anything resembling the pitcher he once was.
This guy wasn’t just good, he was one of the best relievers – left- or right-handed – in all of baseball for much of his first four years with the Braves from 2009-2012, teaming with fellow lefty Jonny Venters and closer Craig Kimbrel – they were dubbed “O’Ventbrel” – in what was as formidable a relief trio as there was anywhere.
O’Flaherty had a 1.95 ERA in 276 appearances over four seasons through 2012, including a 1.31 ERA in 131 innings during 142 appearances over the last two seasons of that period. In 2011 he posted a stunning 0.98 ERA in 78 appearances and a career-high 73 2/3 innings.
“Poor guy, I feel for him,” said Snitker, who served as Braves third-base coach during O’Flaherty’s previous stint with the team. “I remember, God, when I was here before… he was just nails.”
