BALTIMORE – Orioles closer George Sherrill was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with left shoulder inflammation, a disappointing setback for an All-Star pitcher who has 31 saves and has already exceeded a career high in innings pitched.

Sherrill had an MRI exam on Tuesday, 24 hours after complaining of stiffness in his pitching arm.

The left-hander has pitched 50 1-3 innings this season; his previous career high was 45 2-3 innings with Seattle last year. Sherrill was also extended for 2 1-3 innings in the All-Star game because the AL was close to running out of pitchers.

Asked if that appearance might have contributed to the shoulder injury, Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said, “That would be pure speculation. I think that would be easy to fall back on and point fingers. I'd prefer to take the high road and stay away from that.”

The 31-year-old has only three saves since the All-Star break. Trembley has tried not to overuse him, but was not completely surprised over the development.

“It's something that happens over a long period of time. It's a wear and tear situation, and then finally it reaches a point where you've got to fix it,” Trembley said. “To be honest with you, I did not particularly see this coming but I'm not totally shot out of the water by it. I understand the background and how many innings he's pitched.”

Sherrill came to the Orioles in the deal that sent pitcher Erik Bedard to Seattle. He is 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA, but is a big reason why Baltimore is hovering around the .500 mark.

“I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out what a central figure he's been on our ballclub,” Trembley said.

Sherrill was not available for comment. The move is retroactive to Aug. 16.