Earlier this week, a talent evaluator described the Yankees’ habit of collecting suspect pitching projects this way: “They are digging up all the warm bodies.”
Yesterday at a rainy and cold Yankee Stadium, Freddy Garcia — one of those warm bodies — delivered a masterful performance in a 5-2 victory over the muscular Rangers in front of 41,876 chilled-to-the marrow customers.
Garcia, 34 and with a history of physical woes, was one of two “warm bodies” the Yankees retrieved from the arms morgue this winter hoping to fill out the back end of their rotation.
Bartolo Colon, who joined the rotation Friday when Phil Hughes went on the disabled list, was the other. He has pitched well in three relief outings.
Near the end of spring training, the Yankees also signed Kevin Millwood and shortly after Opening Day, they inked Carlos Silva after he was released by the Cubs.
If any of them deliver like Garcia, a 12-game winner for the White Sox last year, did in his first start of the season, the Yankees’ reclamation project will have been productive.
In six innings, Garcia didn’t allow a run, gave up two hits, walked one and struck out one. Since making his final start of spring training on March 29, Garcia had worked only one inning of relief a week ago today, but displayed no signs of rust.
“I don’t pitch much for style points. I don’t throw that hard anymore,” said Garcia, whose fastball tops out in the high 80s, but is augmented by a four other pitches he can throw for strikes. “I have to put the ball down.”
Garcia’s outing was encouraging because Hughes has been awful and Ivan Nova’s last two starts haven’t been good.
Mark Teixeira hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Derek Holland into a 19-mph wind blowing in from right and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third that staked Garcia to a 3-0 cushion.
“We got the lead and we kept the lead,” Teixeira said. “It was an all-around good day.”
Robinson Cano kissed the right-field foul pole for a two-run homer in the eighth.
Alex Rodriguez, who went 0-for-2, left the game before the start of the seventh inning with a stiff lower back and oblique muscle. He was replaced by Eric Chavez.
“I felt a little knot in the oblique,” Rodriguez said. “I couldn’t get warm with the weather. It got worse as the game went on.”
Two of three Yankees relievers — Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera — were effective. The other, Rafael Soriano, raised the anxiety level in the dugout by giving up two runs on three hits in the eighth, trimming the lead to 3-2. Soriano responded by feeding Adrian Beltre an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play ball.
“I don’t know if it was the weather or not, but I didn’t feel the same like when I started the season,” said Soriano, who heard boos from the agitated crowd. “But sometimes you have to figure out a way to get outs.”
Rivera recorded the final three outs for his sixth save in as many chances.
Even when Garcia was injured and his pitching future in doubt, Rodriguez often talked about how his former Mariners teammate could still win if healthy because of a high pitching IQ.
“I love Freddy,” Rodriguez said. “He is a lot like David Cone in that he finds ways to win. He knows how to run away from the barrel.”