Phillies place closer Jhoan Duran on 15-day injured list with left oblique strain

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies placed closer Jhoan Duran on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain before Saturday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves.

The move was retroactive to Wednesday, when Duran felt discomfort in his oblique. It persisted while throwing before Saturday’s game. The 28-year-old right-hander has five saves and a 1.35 ERA this season.

Also, the Phillies called up Felix Reyes from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in an effort to boost their struggling lineup. Reyes, making his big-league debut, homered in his first at-bat in the second inning against Chris Sale.

Philadelphia entered Saturday having lost three in a row and eight and 11 games.

The Phillies’ offense began play Saturday with a league-worst minus-72 run differential and Philly had been outscored 30-6 in its last three losses.

To make room for Reyes, the Phillies optioned Otto Kemp to Lehigh Valley.

Philadelphia also recalled right-handed reliever Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and released outfielder Pedro Leon.

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