Los Angeles Angels Place Reliever Chris Devenski on Injured List With Hamstring Injury

Following a shaky July and implosion against the Houston Astros, the banged up veteran pitcher will get some time off to recover.

The Los Angeles Angels will place right-handed pitcher Chris Devenski on the injured list with a hamstring injury, manager Phil Nevin told reporters Sunday night.

Devenski last took the mound Saturday against the Houston Astros, only retiring two batters while allowing five earned runs on five hits. That outing marked the fifth in a row with at least one earned run allowed for Devenski, who struggled to pitch clean innings over the past month.

On June 15, Devenski had just recorded his 11th consecutive scoreless relief appearance, dropping his ERA to 1.85. Opposing batters were hitting .138 with a .411 OPS against Devenski, who also owned a 0.616 WHIP.

Devenski has watched his numbers balloon since then, though, putting up a 13.50 ERA and 2.679 WHIP over this next 10 games. Devenski's season ERA now sits at 5.08, and his WHIP has nearly doubled to 1.188.

Devenski started his major league career with the Astros, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. The setup man made the All-Star Game in 2017, and he appeared in 10 postseason games during the Astros' World Series run later that year.

Over the course of his five seasons in Houston, Devenski went 16-16 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.068 WHIP and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

Devenski hit free agency and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021. Before spraining his right UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery, Devenski had put up an 8.59 ERA. He matched that same exact number the following season, which he spent between the Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

The Angels scooped Devenski up in November, but stuck him in Triple-A to begin the 2023 season. Los Angeles called him up when José Quijada went to the injured list himself on April 29.

With Devenski banged up, the Angels will be without one of their most reliable relievers for at least the next two weeks. Closer Carlos Estévez is the only Angel who has made more appearances and pitched more innings out of the bullpen, and that's with Devenski spending the first month of the season in the minors.

The Angels are 17-12 in games when Devenski pitches.

Los Angeles is currently 46-48 overall, 9.0 games out of first place in the AL West and 6.0 games out of the third Wild Card spot. There are three teams between the Angels and the final playoff spot, which is held by the Astros, who just took two out of three games in Anaheim over the weekend.

The Angels host the New York Yankees in a three-game series that starts Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 9:38 p.m. ET.

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