In Cardinals left-hander Jaime García's first six starts this season, he posted a sterling 2.78 ERA; in 32 innings, he didn't allow even one home run.
Jaime Garcia: ‘I’m Not Right.’
In García’s next six starts -- including Tuesday night’s two-inning disaster -- his ERA was 6.09.
García was actually skipped in the rotation, his last time around, because of elbow soreness deemed not serious enough to send him to the Disabled List.
Today, you have to wonder. While García has historically averaged around 90 miles an hour on his fastball, he didn’t once reach 89 Tuesday night before getting yanked after giving up six runs in two innings.
Garcia after game: "I'm not right. I need to figure out what is wrong." Pain is gone, he said but clearly something isn't sound. #STLcards
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) June 6, 2012
It’s too early to say García’s hitting the Disabled List this time, even if that news might arrive any second. But it does seem that something’s wrong; that something isn’t sound here.
The Cardinals were able to rest García last weekend because of an off-day, but next time around they don’t have the same luxury. The club’s been relatively blessed since Opening Day, with only five starters needed all season. If García’s going to miss just one start, Mike Matheny could turn to a reliever to spearhead a Johnny Allstaff effort. If it’s going to be a while, though, the Redbirds have a number of viable short-term options perched in triple-A Memphis.
Ideally, Chris Carpenter would return soon. But he’s still roughly two months away from returning to the rotation.
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