Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez will throw his usual between-start bullpen session Saturday, and should have a good idea of his status for Tuesday's start after that. At this point, however, he feels good about his chances of taking the mound.
Alvarez threw off flat ground Friday without incident, and manager Mike Redmond and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez told the Miami Herald they see no reason to be concerned about his elbow. Alvarez left his last start with stiffness, but there appears to be no structural damage in the elbow at this point.
Additionally, Alvarez told the Sun-Sentinel he thinks he knows the source of his elbow troubles in the last outing. He was experimenting with a new grip on his slider, which caused some discomfort and forced his exit after just 62 pitches.
"The pain was from a grip, a slider I started throwing," Alvarez said. "I knew it wasn't anything to worry about. I was just experimenting there to see if it was any good."
He will abandon the grip moving forward.