Phillies starter Vince Velasquez says he understands shutdown

The Philadelphia Phillies have shut down young starter Vince Velasquez for the season following his seven-inning outing on Saturday night.

Velasquez, 24, threw a career-high 131 innings this year for the Phillies.

"I completely understood from the beginning [what the plan was]," Velasquez said after earning a no-decision Saturday. "It was a big workload on my arm. It had a toll on me, so I completely understand this decision."

Velasquez's final performance was an impressive one, as the right-hander allowed two earned runs and struck out eight in the team's 6-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

He finishes his first season in Philadelphia 8-6 with a 4.12 ERA and 152 strikeouts. Perhaps the highlight of his season came in April when he struck out a career-high 16 batters in a complete-game shutout of the San Diego Padres.

Velasquez figures to be a key component of a young, talented and developing starting rotation in Philadelphia that also features Zach Eflin, Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola, all of whom are 25 years old or younger.