Reyes replaces Garcia in Cardinals’ rotation

SAN FRANCISCO — Manager Mike Matheny announced Thursday that the Cardinals will bump struggling left-hander Jaime Garcia from the rotation and replace him with rookie right-hander Alex Reyes. That puts Reyes in line to start Sunday’s series finale in San Francisco.

The decision came two days after Garcia lasted a career-short 1 2/3 innings in his 29th start of the season. Reyes replaced him that night and, despite walking six, kept the Cubs scoreless over his 4 1/3-inning appearance.

“After coming into the game that he came into, pitching the way that he did, it seemed like a pretty easy transition to give him that opportunity,” Matheny said of Reyes, whose start on Sunday will be the third of his career. “He’s continuing to impress us no matter what situation we do put him into, and we feel like he gives us our best shot right now.”

Reyes has made a strong first impression since his Aug. 9 callup. Despite a walk rate of 5.1, he’s posted a 1.29 ERA and struck out 34 over 28 innings. In his two previous …

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