TORONTO -- The injury woes continue to pile up for the Astros.
In just his second start back from a 28-month rehab from Tommy John surgery, right-hander Luis Garcia exited with right elbow discomfort in the second inning of Tuesday night’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The defeat, combined with the Mariners' 5-3 win over the Cardinals in Seattle, trimmed Houston's AL West lead to one game.
Garcia winced immediately upon releasing an 88 mph pitch to Ernie Clement in the second inning and appeared to point to his surgically repaired right arm while looking into the dugout. After a brief discussion with manager Joe Espada and a team trainer on the mound, he exited the game.
AJ Blubaugh was summoned from the bullpen in relief and threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He was followed by Enyel De Los Santos, Steven Okert, Bryan King, Bryan Abreu and Craig Kimbrel.
Garcia’s injury, and the loss, created a somber mood in the postgame clubhouse.
“It was a punch in the gut,” Espada said. “He’s worked so hard to get back, and to see him call us and point to his elbow, it’s tough. Blubaugh came in and picked us up, did a terrific job. But again, the Luis blow, it’s for the team and him personally.”
Espada didn’t have an update on the extent of the injury, and Garcia was not available for comment postgame. Veteran and clubhouse leader Carlos Correa echoed his manager’s thoughts, calling the situation “devastating.”
“It’s not something you want to see,” Correa said.
“He just got back with us and looked really good in his last outing, and he was looking good in [this] outing, as well. I still have to check up on him and see how his spirits are, but I feel devastated by seeing that.”
Garcia’s injury comes on the heels of fellow starter Spencer Arrighetti being placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. It was announced pregame that Arrighetti would be getting a second opinion on his elbow this week.
The rotation remains headlined by Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, but after that it’s down to Jason Alexander and Cristian Javier. It’s a group with plenty of upside but equally as many question marks, including who the fifth man will now be.
Alexander has pitched well since being claimed off waivers from the Athletics in May. In his past seven starts, all Astros wins, he’s posted a 3-0 record with a 2.79 ERA. He’s still a relative unknown, though, with just 32 appearances (20 starts) on his big league resume.
Javier, meanwhile, is making his own way back from Tommy John surgery and will have made less than 10 starts by season’s end if all goes well.
Despite the long list of injuries they’ve experienced, Espada emphasized the opportunity the Astros still have in front of them.
“This is where you want to be, playing big games in September,” Espada said before Tuesday’s series opener. “This is what you live for, this is what you get up in the morning and look forward to. It’s exciting. I think our guys know where we’re at and what we need to do.”