Jaime Garcia was pulled from his Game 2 start after just two innings and the Cardinals have decided to remove him from the playoff roster after the left-hander complained of shoulder problems.
And that’s where it starts to get interesting, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Garcia was apparently pitching at less than full strength, but didn’t tell anyone that until after his poor start against the Nationals. General manager John Mozeliak called the team’s lack of knowledge about Garcia’s issue “frustrating” and it sounds like that’s an understatement.
Strauss reports that “several teammates were incensed to learn that Garcia started such a monumental game if indeed compromised physically.” On the other hand, Strauss also writes that “a faction within the organization has remained skeptical about the severity of Garcia’s condition.”
Which, when taken together, paints a very odd picture. Garcia’s teammates are angry he pitched hurt and Garcia’s team doesn’t believe he was all that hurt? Doesn’t that seem like it has to be one or the other, at the very least?
Garcia, who missed two months earlier this season with a shoulder injury, underwent an MRI exam yesterday. If he’s indeed removed from the NLDS roster he’ll be ineligible to rejoin the roster until the World Series.
