Freddy Garcia, the 36-year-old journeyman pitcher who resurrected his career in 2011 with the New York Yankees, is making his debut today for the Baltimore Orioles.
Garcia, who was 7-6 with a disappointing 5.20 ERA for the Yankees last season was deemed expendable following a surprising campaign in 2011 in which he won 12 games and posted an ERA of 3.62 and a WHIP of 1.34. The veteran had been dominating Triple A competition (4-0, 1.29 ERA) and the Orioles decided he could bolster the big league rotation in the tough American League East.
"This is not a guy that was a failed starter in the big leagues," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "I'll tell you another thing: Everybody early in the season carries better stuff than they do later on. So, he's pretty fresh right now." Garcia expressed his excitement about the opportunity with Baltimore and thinks he can help preserve their bullpen. "Hopefully I pitch the way I know I can pitch and I can help the team win games and throw innings."
Garcia has a history of dominating the Los Angeles Angels, his opponent today. In 29 starts against them he has compiled a 17-3 record with a 2.69 ERA.
The Orioles will be without slugger Chris Davis , however, who injured his knee in a 4-0 loss last night to these same Angels. "My knee kind of buckled," said Davis. "Felt a tingling in my foot, thought I could walk it off. Went down the stairs, tried to go down the stairs, couldn't go down the stairs. In the first 100 at-bats of the 2013 season, Davis has hit .330 with nine home runs and 29 RBI and posted a 1.211 on base plus slugging percentage.
The first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. and can be live streamed for free here or for a fee with better quality video here. Angels fans can listen to the game on KLA 830 or KWKW 1330, while Orioles fans should turn their dials to 1090 WBAL.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
