Deivi Garcia’s start on Saturday was planned in advance to help give the Yankees’ rotation a breath in a stretch of 26 games in 27 days, but when Corey Kluber was injured, Garcia took it as a chance to show he can fill that void, even if manager Aaron Boone wouldn’t guarantee that spot to him.
Unfortunately, the day didn’t work out for any of them, as Garcia often struggled with his command and allowed five runs (four earned) over 4 1/3 innings in the Yankees’ 6-1 loss to the Tigers.
“He battled. I thought it was a little bit of a struggle with command, some good pitches but just some balls out of hand,” manager Aaron Boone said of Garcia. “He battled for not being totally sharp, and like we always see with him, his demeanor wasn’t affected good or bad, he was out there grinding. I thought he was a little inconsistent command-wise.”
“Yeah, it was a grind for me; I think I’m usually much more consistent with my pitches, and today that wasn’t the case,” Garcia added through team translator Marlon Abreu. “The good thing is I’m healthy and trying to compete, but the game was full of battles. You just have to keep fighting, make adjustments and try to navigate.”
The Yankees’ offense didn’t help him, scoring only one run – which came on a double play with the bases loaded and no outs in the second – and the unearned run came when Rougned Odor made a throwing error with the bases loaded and two outs in the second, giving Detroit their first two runs.
“I thought it was going up the middle and he came out of nowhere to make the play, and it seemed like maybe if he made the perfect throw, he’d have a chance,” Boone said of the play, which he had not yet seen a replay of as of his postgame presser. “I thought it was a good job of getting to a ball that wasn’t it overly hard, but I’d have to see a replay to see if he has to pocket that or not.”
Regardless, Garcia’s day was done after 88 pitches, following Jeimer Candelario’s RBI double with one out in the fifth, leaving Albert Abreu to pick up the slack. Abreu, who had been optioned to the taxi squad Friday night to make room for Garcia, came back up when Justin Wilson was placed on the IL, and ended up throwing 42 pitches over 3 2/3 innings, at one point retiring eight in a row after a sac fly and a solo homer made it 6-1 Tigers in the fifth.
“My slider was my key there. I’ve been working on using it more consistently for strikes, and it was a big key there,” Abreu said through the team translator. “I haven’t changed the grip or anything, just trying to be more consistent with it in the zone.
His prize, however? Both Abreu and Garcia were optioned to Triple-A after the game, which will likely give the Yankees at least one if not two fresh arms for Sunday, when Michael King will make a spot start because of the Yankees’ doubleheader on Thursday.
“That’s been tough going up and down, but at the same time, I’ve stayed positive and worked on what I can control,” Abreu said. “I had no idea I was going to be activated again today, so I came to the ballpark ready to go through my routine and work on what I need to work on.”
Garcia’s demotion means he cannot come back until at least June 9 barring an injury, so for now, it’s King on Sunday and the Yankees will figure out Friday against Boston when they get there.
“It’s a fluid situation, and we’ll talk through some things and see,” Boone said.
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