Mariners Ace James Paxton Headed to 10-Day Disabled List

The hits keep coming for the Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners have placed ace James Paxton on the 10-day disabled list with a strained pectoral muscle, the team announced on Friday. USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that Paxton will be out until September. 

Paxton, who was named AL Pitcher of the Month for July, left Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Angles in the seventh inning. He apparently didn't seem to think the injury was too serious initially. 

James Paxton said he was surprised by diagnosis.Woke up feeling OK only to be hit with news he could miss 3 weeks of playoff race. #Mariners

— Tim Booth (@ByTimBooth) August 11, 2017

Paxton, 28, is having a tremendous season—he's 12–3 with a 2.78 ERA and 138 strikeouts. Over his last 8 starts, Paxton is 7–0 with a 1.92 ERA.

It's a crushing blow for a Mariners team that has played its way back into the AL Wild Card race. As of the time of the Paxton announcement, the Mariners (59-57) were tied with the Rays for the second wildcard sport. Just yesterday, the Mariners received bad news regarding two other pitchers. Felix Hernandez was diagnosed with shoulder bursitis that will cause him to miss three to four more weeks, and reliever David Phelps will miss two to three weeks with an elbow impingement.