 05/22/2003 4:00 PM ET
Notes: Garcia (re)turns emotional
Right-hander has struggled to 3-6 record this season
|
By Jim Street / MLB.com
|
 |
SEATTLE -- The emotional fire that burned inside Freddy Garcia, becoming so hot at times that it occasionally got him into trouble, might be just what he needs to regain the form that made him one of the best pitchers in the game.
Going back to last season, the Mariners have tried to get Garcia to harness his emotions, sensing that opposing hitters were feeding off his temper.
But a calmer, cool-headed Freddy Garcia isn't working.
"I have to be more emotional," he said Thursday morning. "(Unemotional) is not Freddy. Maybe it's someone else, but it's not me. If people don't like it, there's nothing I can do about it. It's all about winning."
And winning is something Garcia hasn't been doing on a regular basis.
Freddy Garcia
/ P
|
|
|
|
He has a 3-6 record and 5.90 ERA this season, which comes on the heels of a 5-5, 5.66 ERA
mark in the second half of last season.
Garcia refused to talk to the media after Wednesday night's 14-5 loss, but he talked on Thursday morning in the clubhouse, saying he is determined to turn this season around, appreciates the support he's getting from his teammates, and realizes some Mariners fans have turned against him.
"Maybe I'm trying too hard," he said, "but I am not a losing pitcher. I've never been (a loser)."
Garcia claimed that he hasn't had a losing record since 1994 while pitching in a Dominican Republic Summer League and is confident that he won't have a losing record this season.
It was interesting to see how angry Garcia became following a Michael Tucker home run in the second inning in Wednesday night's blowout loss to the Royals.
Between Tucker's two-run homer in the second inning and Desi Relaford's two-out single in the sixth, Garcia retired 14 of the 16 batters he faced. There was a controlled aggression about him, which is something manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price would like to see in the first inning.
"There probably is a fine line between too much and too little emotion and we're fine with (showing) emotion," Melvin said. "You just don't want to be showing up umpires and do certain things like that.
"Sometimes (emotion) will work against you, but at times it helps you create the passion you need if you are that kind of guy. We don't want him to stomp around the mound and take 20 minutes between pitches. But if it takes emotion to drive him, then we're all for it."
Garcia's teammates believe he will emerge from this ongoing funk.
"He's going through some tough times, but he'll come out of it," second baseman Bret Boone said. "You just have to reach down and fight yourself out of it. And he will."
|
Edgar Martinez
/ DH
|
|
|
|
Designated hitter Edgar Martinez said, "You have to fight hard and come out of it. I think he is going to be fine. When you struggle, you try to do too much in a short amount of time. The way to come out of it is little by little, but that's hard to do. Everyone goes through it."
Martinez said it's harder for a starting pitcher to recover from a bad game than a hitter.
"If a pitcher has a bad outing, he has to wait five days. A hitter who has a bad day can come back the next day to redeem himself. At least he has an opportunity right away."
Garcia's next opportunity is next Tuesday night in Kansas City when the Mariners begin a six-game road trip.
Look for a little smoke coming out of his ears. That could be a good sign.
In the pinch: Memorial Day is just around the corner and the Mariners are still looking for their first pinch-hit. They are 0-for-14 this season and are the only MLB team without a pinch-hit.
Melvin suggested that it is a deceiving because pinch-hitters are used so rarely in the American League to begin with and the Mariners have such a set lineup that pinch-hitters aren't needed nearly as often as other teams.
But that will change in a couple of weeks when the Mariners play six Interleague games on the road against the Phillies and Mets. The DH rule won't be used in those games.
"That will give me more of a chance to get them some at-bats," said Melvin of Greg Colbrunn (0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter), Willie Bloomquist (0-for-2) and John Mabry (0-for-9).
Special headgear: The Mariners received special caps for this weekend's three-game series against the Twins. All MLB teams will wear caps with the American Flag emblem on the left side of the cap.
Did you know? The Mariners had two runners on base in the first inning Thursday but failed to score. That is pretty unusual as Seattle has scored more first-inning runs than any team in the Majors -- 41. The Mariners are 62-for-194 in their first at-bats.
Coming up: Memorial Weekend kicks off Friday night with the Mariners sending left-hander Jamie Moyer (6-2, 3.67) against the Twins and right-hander Brad Radke (5-3, 5.60), who has won four straight starts. It is the first meeting of the season between the teams. Moyer is 4-0 at Safeco Field this season.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League baseball or its clubs.
|
|
|
| MLB Headlines | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
