Jim Salisbury gives the bad news:
Garcia, who three months ago caused Phillies fandom to break out in an early case of pennant fever, has thrown up caution flags all spring with a below-average fastball and a 10-plus ERA. Scouts say it’s the same fastball he had at the end of last season, one that struggles to reach 89 m.p.h. Last night, he struggled to reach 85 and left his start after being tagged for three runs in the first inning.
Right biceps tightness was the official word. There will be more information today, and something tells us it won’t be good news.
Meanwhile, it’s legitimate to wonder whether the White Sox had more reasons to get rid of Garcia than just the desire to get younger and free themselves of his $10 million salary.
Crap. Let’s hope this is all just ‘the sky is falling’ type of stuff, and Garcia is just kidding around with this 85mph fastball stuff. He just wants to be like Jamie Moyer, right? RIGHT?!?! JIM, PLEASE TELL ME NOT TO WORRY!!!
Maybe it means nothing. Maybe everything will be fine when the season opens a week from Monday. Maybe Garcia has been sleeping the wrong way on his arm and he’ll come back healthy, throwing 93 m.p.h. Maybe the Phillies are the team to beat.
But with 10 days to go in camp, they sure don’t look like it.
You really know how to calm me down Jim. Oh wait, NO YOU DON’T!!!!
And why is Jon Lieber in the freaking bullpen??? Him being better than Adam Eaton is apparently not enough to get him in the rotation…so what’s it take?
Does anyone sort of wish we didn’t deal Gio Gonzalez???
edit: Here’s a little fan reaction from a Chicago White Sox blog called Southside Sox:
“but, this is exactly the reason most of us were calling for him to be traded at the deadline last year.”
“Everyone that seriously followed the Sox last year knows that FG is an aging, mediocre innings eater who as he ages is a serious concern to not do the one thing he’s good at — eating innings.”
“I can’t understand why a team with Myers and Hamels would consider Garcia to be such a coup. I was astonished when I saw that he was slated to be the opening day starter.”
’I think it’s safe to say that Garcia cannot possibly be a “disappointment”, since nobody expected very much from him… except, inexplicably, the Phils.”
While I never thought he was going to be an ace, I at least thought he’d be decent. Don’t we all have egg on our collective faces?
Garcia was supposed to be a coup exactly because we already have Hamels and Myers. I would’ve killed for a mediocre innings-eater in the 3rd starter slot for most of last year… and whether or not he would start Opening Day is meaningless; he’s the #3 (if healthy, of course). And I personally don’t think that “mediocre innings-eater” is such a pejorative: A league-average pitcher is pretty damn valuable if he can be league average for 200+ innings.
But anyway… yeah this sucks. I don’t usually pay attention to spring stats. Spring injuries are another matter. Good thing Gillick couldn’t get anything for Lieber, right?
Now I’m not an “idiot”…I’ve been in panic mode all along.