Marlins place closer Matt Lindstrom on 15-day DL with sprained elbow; Nunez, others to sub

Marlins place closer Lindstrom on 15-day DL

MIAMI — The Florida Marlins placed closer Matt Lindstrom on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a sprained right elbow, one day after he blew a three-run lead.

Lindstrom, 29, did not hint at an injury after Tuesday’s game, where he gave up four consecutive hits against Baltimore after getting the first two outs in the ninth. He was lifted and Brian Sanches gave up the tying hit. Florida won 7-6 in 12 innings.

“It’s frustrating. I’ve been battling for the past three weeks … a month,” Lindstrom said. “It just got to the point where doing the little things to prepare to throw each day became difficult.”

On Sunday, Lindstrom gave up two runs in the ninth against the New York Yankees before getting the last out in the Marlins’ 6-5 win.

Lindstrom, whose fastball can reach 100 mph, is 2-1 with a 6.52 ERA with 14 saves in 16 opportunities. He has appeared in 32 games. He also missed a chunk of spring training with a strained rotator cuff.

“It was day to day the last three weeks,” Lindstrom said. “Some days it wouldn’t feel as bad, other days I’d wake up and say, ‘Wow, am I gonna pitch tonight? And if so, how will it feel?’”

Manager Fredi Gonzalez has been patient with Lindstrom’s recent struggles, saying the Marlins are grooming him to be the closer for the long-term and are willing to accept some rough outings.

The team is expected to try Leo Nunez, Dan Meyer and Sanches in the closer’s role. Lindstrom took over the role last September, replacing Kevin Gregg, who was dealt in the offseason to the Chicago Cubs. Lindstrom made his major league debut in 2007, posting an 8-8 career record with 19 saves in 169 games.

To replace Lindstrom, the Marlins called up reliever Chris Leroux from Double-A Jacksonville.