Rico Garcia's journey with the Baltimore Orioles this season has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. Coming into 2026, the 32-year-old reliever was not exactly the talk of the town, with only about 70 career innings to his name.
Yet, he quickly became a standout performer, helping the Orioles stay in the thick of the AL Wild Card race. But as the season unfolds, Garcia's dream run has hit a snag, and it's a snag the Orioles can't afford to ignore.
Garcia's early-season performance was nothing short of remarkable. Through April, he was nearly untouchable, giving up just one hit and a single run over 13.2 innings.
His dominance on the mound earned him a spot as a reliable arm for manager Craig Albernaz. Even as May rolled in, Garcia maintained his form, allowing only one run throughout the month.
His trajectory seemed set for a standout season reminiscent of Zack Britton's 2016 heroics.
However, June has been a different story for Garcia. The once-dominant reliever now finds himself struggling, particularly in the 8th inning.
He's allowed six earned runs in just 12.1 innings pitched in that frame, a worrying trend that has caught the attention of Albernaz and the Orioles' coaching staff. In June alone, Garcia has given up eight earned runs and has become vulnerable to home runs, with batters slugging significantly higher against him compared to his early-season form.
The Orioles' bullpen strategy is in flux, especially with injuries and short outings from starters throwing a wrench into the works. The list of trusted late-inning arms is dwindling, and the team's bullpen woes are becoming more pronounced. Ryan Helsley, returning from injury, hasn't been the reliable option they hoped for, adding to the pressure on Garcia to rediscover his form.
For Baltimore, the solution might lie in a role adjustment for Garcia. While he wasn't initially pegged as a long-term fixture in the bullpen, his early-season success suggests he deserves a chance to pitch through his struggles.
Perhaps a shift to the closer role, where he's already shown promise with four saves, could be the key. With Felix Bautista recovering from shoulder surgery, now might be the perfect time to see if Garcia can stabilize the bullpen from the 9th inning, bringing some much-needed consistency to the Orioles' late-game strategy.
In Other News...
Blue Angels Turned Camden Yards Into A Baltimore Moment Fans Wont Forget
Camden Yards had an extra soundtrack Saturday, and the Orioles made sure everyone in the ballpark knew it was coming. Before the game against the Nationals, the club alerted the umpires and Washington about the noise from the U.S. Navys Blue Angels flyover tied to the Sail250 event, then passed the warning along to fans on the video board as the planes prepared to cross over the stadium.
The reminder proved necessary in the middle of one plate appearance, when home plate umpire Jansen Visconti had to call time several times as the roar overhead interrupted the action. Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser also had a little fun with the moment, saying he wished he could have sent one out while the planes were flying by, even if he came up just short of making the scene even more Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles May Finally Have To Cash In Top Prospects
With the trade deadline looming, the Orioles are once again facing one of the harder choices that comes with building a contender: whether to move from their prospect strength to patch holes on the major league roster. Baltimore has spent years stockpiling young talent, but not every promising bat can fit at once, especially with congestion at catcher and first base making the next step tricky for some of the systems more intriguing names.
The pull to keep the pipeline intact is obvious, yet the pressure to win now is real, and that is where the front office has to decide how much future value it is willing to spend. Some of the organizations better young hitters have seen their stock rise at the right time, which only sharpens the question of whether the Orioles should keep waiting on development or turn that depth into help for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Cant Ignore These Two Season-Defining Problems Any Longer
The Orioles have reached the point in the season where two problems keep showing up in different forms, and neither one can be brushed aside much longer. Gunnar Hendersons spot near the top of the lineup has become part of the conversation because the offense needs more than name value from a player in that role, while the rotation continues to look stretched as Baltimore tries to keep games from getting away early.
Kyle Bradishs latest start only deepened the concern on the pitching side, with another erratic outing that ended quickly after he issued five walks in four innings. There is growing reason to think the club may need to get creative with how it manages the staff, including the possibility of a six-man rotation if help arrives in time, but for now the Orioles are still stuck trying to solve issues that are hard to ignore and even harder to mask. [Read more 🡒]