Rangers closer Robert Garcia left the game yesterday in the eleventh inning due to injury. At first it was reported to be due to a left scapula spasm, then that was changed to a mid-back spasm.

The injury appears to be much less severe than originally thought and Garcia will be back to blowing saves shortly.

After Friday’s blown save in the bottom of the ninth in which Garcia gave up a two-run homer to lost the game 4-3, Bruce Bochy was asked if he’d lost confidence in his closer. He asserted his closer was “Robert Garcia. Period.”

It’s easy to change punctuation. And, now, maybe even your closer. 

After another blown save yesterday on the third pitch of the tenth inning, Garcia was working on losing the game outright by allowing a two-out single to Josh Naylor before being removed from the game with a 2-0 count against Eugenio Suarez.  

At that point, in addition to appearing to be injured, he also looked completely defeated. Shellshocked might be a better word.

Since June 1, Garcia has allowed nine runs in eighteen relief innings, including four home runs, blowing four saves.

The Rangers have suffered far too many blown saves this year, first from Luke Jackson, now from Robert Garcia, because they failed to go into the season with a closer, and were unable to acquire one at the trade deadline.

Luis Curvelo came in, worked magic with a runner on and down 2-0 in the count.  He ended up striking out Suarez to end the inning. 

Texas picked up two more runs in the top of the eleventh. Curvelo got the Mariners out in order in the bottom of the eleventh to earn his first major league win. And maybe he even earned the next shot at being the Rangers closer. Because the first two guys who tried it didn’t turn out that good.

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