Padres place Luis Garcia on 15-day IL

For those who were wondering why Luis Garcia hadn’t pitched since Wednesday now you know why. He was dealing with a left oblique strain and will be on the shelf at least through June 8. Domingo Tapia has been called up from Triple-A El Paso.

So far this year Garcia had a 4.66 ERA and a 2.93 FIP in just under 20 innings.

This is another blow to a Padres bullpen that is already down three relievers. Robert Suarez is just starting to come back from an elbow injury. Adrian Morejon didn’t get through the first inning last night on a rehab assignment with Lake Elsinore. Drew Pomeranz just had a cleanup surgery so his timetable for a possible return is unknown.

Even with the injuries, the bullpen has still been one of the best in baseball as of late. Entering Saturday, San Diego’s relievers have combined for the 72.1 innings this month, posting a 1.74 ERA—by far the best in all of MLB in May.

Tapia made the Opening Day roster and made ten appearances at the big league level before being optioned in mid-April. The 31-year-old has a 3.18 ERA and should be available today for Bob Melvin.