James Paxton Placed on 10-Day DL with Pectoral Injury

The Seattle Mariners placed starting pitcher James Paxton on the 10-day disabled list Friday after he suffered a strained left pectoral muscle during Thursday's showdown against the Los Angeles Angels. 

According to the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish, Paxton will miss at least three weeks. 

News of Paxton's injury comes at just about the worst possible time for Seattle. 

The Mariners are in the thick of the postseason race and are currently 2.5 games back of the New York Yankees for the top spot in the American League Wild Card standings. 

As if losing Paxton—who is 12-3 with a 2.78 ERA and 1.078 WHIP—wasn't bad enough, the Mariners are also making due without Felix Hernandez (right shoulder bursitis) for the foreseeable future. 

According to MLB.com's Greg Johns, doctors have told the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner he's likely to miss somewhere between three and four weeks.