Hardy laments discomfort after back-to-back errors
Wright out, Garcia in for struggling bullpen
There’s nothing more rare during the Orioles’ run back to relevance over the past five years than what J.J. Hardy did Friday night — errors on back-to-back plays for the first time in his career, and two in the same inning for just the second time ever.
That it’s such an infrequent occurrence doesn’t make Hardy feel any better about it. A day later, he beat himself up over the botches, saying they’re symptomatic of the general discomfort in the field he’s been battling since returning from his foot fracture midway through June.
“It [stinks],” Hardy said. “Obviously, it happens. It’s happened to me before plenty of times. But it’s a [crummy] feeling. You know that you’re letting your team down. … I think there’s not a worse feeling in baseball, for me.”
Hardy has four errors this season, with half coming Friday. He has been praised for being a steadying force in the Orioles infield since his return, but acknowledged Saturday that he had some trouble being steady in his first 18 games back, over which he batted .254 with a .588 OPS.
“I wouldn’t say ‘pressing,’ ” Hardy said. “I feel like I’m still trying to find a little bit of a rhythm out there. It’s definitely not good. I’ve been fighting it for a little while, not feeling really comfortable. I’m just going to continue working.”
Manager Buck Showalter, in defending Hardy’s errors, praised the fact that the Orioles made so many premium defensive plays with such a slow pace of play in Friday’s 9-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Garcia joins Orioles: Righthander Jason Garcia was the latest minor league starter to get yanked from his routine to fill in for a short-handed Orioles bullpen. Garcia was called up Saturday to replace Mike Wright, who was optioned after Friday’s game.
Showalter, as he had with Wright, indicated Garcia was here because he was the best option the team had. But in supporting the team’s decision to go with Garcia, who worked as a reliever last season after the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft, Showalter indicated the 23-year-old would soon be back in the Double-A Bowie rotation he came from.
“I’m going to always support playing him off the tough position,” Showalter said. “[Ryan] Mountcastle is going to have to prove he can’t play shortstop. This guy has got to prove he can’t play center field. This guy has got to prove he can’t start. We’ll start there.
“I’m fully supportive that they’re letting him go down the starting road. He’s got a workday. He’s throwing 80, 90, 100 pitches — that only prepares him to come up here and pitch, whether it’s as a starter and reliever. Same with Mike Wright. They’re going to play their way off the other. Do we think they can do the other? Sure. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but starting pitching is at a real premium up here.”
Showalter said Garcia threw particularly well in his most recent start Tuesday. He struck out five and walked one in six innings of five-hit, two-run ball to lower his ERA to 4.79.
In nine starts over April and May, Garcia had a 6.07 ERA with 17 strikeouts and 25 walks in 43 innings. Since then, he has had a 3.12 ERA in 342⁄3 innings over six starts with 23 strikeouts and 14 walks.
“The last month, I’ve been working a lot with my fastball command and just really working on getting more consistent, and I feel like my command has come a long way so far this year,” Garcia said.
He has been heeding Showalter’s advice to attack hitters, which was delivered in his major league stint last year.
“Just attacking hitters, getting ahead early and just try to carry that down there,” Garcia said. O’Day spending break in Sarasota: Reliever Darren O’Day (hamstring) will spend the All-Star break in Sarasota, Fla., after playing catch again today, Showalter said.
“I’m hoping he would probably join us in the locker room in Tampa when we get there [Thursday],” Showalter said. “I’m hoping by that time that we’ve got some real positive movement, that he’s up on the hill and throwing, but I can’t tell you that’s going to happen anytime soon. … But we need him back.”
Showalter said O’Day’s injury has particularly affected the role of right-hander Mychal Givens, and referenced the film “Jerry Maguire” in saying O’Day “kind of completes the bullpen.” Planning ahead: Wright will start Thursday for Triple-A Norfolk, and Tyler Wilson will follow him with a three-inning start Friday. Showalter said both could have short outings to keep them in contention to be in the major league rotation coming out of the All-Star break.