Garcia Tosses Seven Strikeouts in Second Rehab Appearance with Sugar Land
PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Garcia Tosses Seven Strikeouts in Second Rehab Appearance with Sugar Land

Published on August 8, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SACRAMENTO, CA - RHP Luis Garcia rang up seven batters across 4.0 shutout innings in the Sugar Land Space Cowboys' (14-19, 53-55) 5-3 loss to the Sacramento River Cats (21-15, 57-54) on Thursday night at Sutter Health Park.

Garcia dispatched the River Cats in order in the top of the first on 12 pitches with back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame. In the second, Garcia struck out the side while stranding a runner in scoring position as he fanned five batters through his first two innings of work.

Garcia spun a strikeout to lead off the third, his sixth punchout of the night, while working around a two-out single to post a zero. The 2022 World Series Champion capped off his second Major League rehab appearance with Sugar Land with a scoreless fourth while adding a seventh strikeout to his ledger. Garcia went 4.0 shutout innings, allowing three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Sacramento had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth and scored four runs in the inning to take a 4-0 lead. Sugar Land threatened in the top of the sixth as Brice Matthews ripped a lead-off double down the left-field line, but LHP Seth Lonsway (W, 1-0) sat down the next three Space Cowboy batters to leave Matthews on base.

Sugar Land loaded the bases in the top of the seventh as Zack Short singled while César Salazar and Kenedy Corona each drew walks. With two outs in the inning, Matthews was hit by a pitch, allowing Short to score the Space Cowboys' first run of the night. In the ensuing at-bat, Shay Whitcomb scorched a two-RBI single as Sugar Land whittled their deficit, 4-3.

However, Sacramento scored an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh and the Space Cowboys were held off the board in the eighth and ninth as Sugar Land fell 5-3 on Thursday.

NOTABLE:

- Luis Garcia went 4.0 scoreless innings on Thursday, allowing three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts on 59 pitches with 37 strikes. Thursday was Garcia's first seven-strikeout outing since April 25, 2023 with the Astros against the Tampa Bay Rays. Garcia fired his cutter 23 times on Thursday while generating eight swings-and-misses with the pitch.

- Jayden Murray hurled 2.1 relief innings on Thursday in his second appearance against the River Cats this series. Since July 3, Murray has allowed only four earned runs over 13.0 innings and 11 games with 16 strikeouts.

- Shay Whitcomb went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk on Thursday. In his last 14 games with Sugar Land, he has gone 18-for-57 (.316) with four doubles, a homer, 10 RBI, five walks and eight runs scored.

- Brice Matthews went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Thursday and has reached in 27 of his last 28 games with Sugar Land. Over that span, Matthews is 38-for-113 (.336) with nine doubles, three triples, five homers, 19 RBI, and 16 walks. Matthews has also recorded an extra-base hit and an RBI in his last four games with the Space Cowboys.

- César Salazar extended his on-base streak to 11 games on Thursday with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored. Over his on-base streak, Salazar has a double, two homers, six RBI, 10 walks and seven runs scored.

- Nick Robertson retired all four batters he faced on Thursday, and since July 2, Robertson has allowed only one earned run across nine appearances, spanning 9.1 innings pitched with eight strikeouts.

Game four of the Space Cowboys' six-game set versus the River Cats begins on Friday at 8:45 pm CT. RHP Hayden Birdsong toes the slab for Sacramento while RHP Miguel Ullola gets the ball for Sugar Land. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com.

Check out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 8, 2025


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