masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgJason Garcia is back in the Orioles clubhouse today – the same bullpen role, uniform No. 61 and big league hair.
Garcia returns after making 15 starts at Double-A Bowie, but the Orioles will use him in relief for however long he’s with the club.
“It feels good to be back,” Garcia said. “Just here to help the team anyway I can. I’m assuming the bullpen, but I’ll just wait.”
Garcia was 4-7 with a 4.79 ERA in his 15 starts, but the results were improving before he got the call.
“The last…

Jason Garcia is back in the Orioles clubhouse today – the same bullpen role, uniform No. 61 and big league hair.

Garcia returns after making 15 starts at Double-A Bowie, but the Orioles will use him in relief for however long he’s with the club.

“It feels good to be back,” Garcia said. “Just here to help the team anyway I can. I’m assuming the bullpen, but I’ll just wait.”

Jason Garcia black.jpgGarcia was 4-7 with a 4.79 ERA in his 15 starts, but the results were improving before he got the call.

“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,” he said.

Garcia mostly was a starter in the low minors before his elbow surgery and selection in the Rule 5 draft. He’s glad to be in a rotation, even if it’s the Eastern League.

“Yeah, it’s definitely nice to get back into that routine I was always used to,” he said, “but at the same time I did this all last year, so I feel like I can do both.”

Garcia is trying to carry last year’s lessons into the 2016 season.

“Mainly just trusting your stuff, like Buck (Showalter) told me a lot last year,” he said. “And just attacking hitters, getting ahead early and just try to carry that down there. The same mentality I had here. And be aggressive and treat it like it’s the same game.”

Showalter saw gradual improvement from Garcia at Bowie and trusted the reports.

“The last time, he wasn’t bad,” Showalter said. “We watch them all. Took three days off after 90-something odd pitches, had a light workday recently. Talked to Alan Mills and Gary Kendall and Brian Graham. Of our options, he was the best option of the options we had.”

Perhaps Garcia will resurface as a starter for the Orioles later this summer. Otherwise, he’ll stay in a minor league rotation and be considered again for a bullpen role if a spot opens with the Orioles.

“I’m in full support of him going down in a starting role,” Showalter said, deferring to the player development department.

“He’s got a workday. He’s throwing 80, 90, 100 pitches. That only prepares him to pitch, whether it’s as a starter or a reliever.”