Garcia earned the save over the Marlins on Tuesday after allowing one run on one hit and a walk in the ninth inning. He struck out a batter as well.
Garcia was called upon to protect a 3-0 lead in the ninth with usual closer Carlos Estevez presumably unavailable after pitching each of the last two days. Garcia served up a solo blast to Bryan De La Cruz but was able to close the door without any further harm. Garcia's now given up runs in both appearances though it appears he still has his manager's trust in late-game situations for now.
Garcia signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the Angels on Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Garcia recorded a 3.73 ERA and 1.30 WHIP over two seasons in San Diego, and he'll now help bolster an Angels bullpen unit that put up a 4.88 ERA last season (fifth worst in MLB). The 36-year-old righty registered one save and six holds during his first stint with the Angels in 2019, though he may be used more often in high-leverage situations next season given the lack of depth in Los Angeles' bullpen.
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Padres' Luis Garcia: Tagged with blown save Friday
Rotowire
Garcia was charged with a blown save as a result of giving up one run on two hits and a walk against St. Louis on Friday. His only out came via a strikeout.
Garcia was summoned from the bullpen to begin the eighth inning with San Diego clinging to a 2-1 lead. The right-hander couldn't get the job done, allowing a run to score on a Paul Goldschmidt single and a Jordan Walker triple before he was able to record an out. Garcia was then lifted after issuing a one-out walk to Ivan Herrera, but Robert Suarez was able to retire the next two batters without allowing another run to cross the plate to save Garcia's ERA from further damage. After racking up 11 consecutive scoreless appearances covering 13.2 frames between Aug. 19 and Sept. 15, Garcia has now allowed three earned runs across his past three outings covering two innings.
Garcia was credited with a hold Sunday against the Giants despite giving up two runs on one hit and two walks over one-third of an inning.
Garcia threw just four of 16 pitches for a strike in the outing and also uncorked a wild pitch. Since returning from the injured list June 10, the right-hander has surrendered four runs on five hits and two walks over 1.2 innings across three appearances. Garcia tied for sixth in the NL with a career-best 20 holds last season, but he's posted an ugly 6.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP overall in 21 frames this year. After Sunday's loss, Padres manager Bob Melvin hinted that the team may look to other options in high-leverage situations, saying, "We're trying to get Garcίa going...It hasn't worked to this point. We definitely need another guy down there, another righty," per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Garcia (oblique) was activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday.
He ends up missing just over the minimum amount of IL time with a mild oblique injury. Garcia has a streak of 11 straight appearances without allowing an earned run and has 11 strikeouts and one win in 10.2 innings over that stretch.
