Garcia allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Cardinals.
Emilio Pagan wasn't utilized in this game despite not pitching Saturday, though he had worked three of the four days between Tuesday and Friday. Other high-leverage relievers like Pierce Johnson and Tejay Antone were deployed earlier in the contest. Garcia didn't make it easy, but he was able to protect the lead to pick up his first major-league save. He's done a fine job in a lower-leverage role so far with a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB through 15.1 innings, though he has been scored upon in five of his 11 games. At this time, Garcia doesn't look to be a threat to Pagan's closing role, but the former could see his outings start to come later in games if he continues to pitch well.
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Reds' Julian Garcia: Receives first MLB call-up
Rotowire
The Reds selected Garcia's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Monday.
Cincinnati designated Chris Paddack for assignment to open up room on the roster and in the bullpen for Garcia, who had been one of Louisville's more dominant relief arms this season. The 31-year-old right-hander received his first big-league call-up after submitting a 3.03 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 54:12 K:BB in 35.2 innings. He'll likely begin his time in the majors as a lower-leverage arm, but Garcia could work his way up the bullpen depth chart quickly if he's able to maintain the impressive form he displayed at Triple-A.
