Astros starter Luis García leaves with apparent injury - MLB

HOUSTON — Houston Astros starter Luis García left the game against the San Francisco Giants with an apparent injury after throwing just eight pitches.

García allowed a leadoff single to LaMonte Wade Jr. and had thrown six pitches to Thairo Estrada when he stopped and motioned for catcher Martín Maldonado to come to the mound.

Maldonado spoke to García before signaling for a trainer. He and manager Dusty Baker came to the mound and spoke with the right-hander for a couple of minutes before escorting him off the field.

García looked to be in pain and shook his right arm a bit as he walked off the field. The team did not immediately provide any information on his injury.

It’s the second straight game where Houston’s starter has left with an injury. Jose Urquidy exited with right shoulder soreness. He was placed on the 15-day injured lis.

Right-hander Brandon Bielak was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land to take Urquidy’s roster spot. He took over after García’s exit with the count at 2-2 on Estrada and struck him out.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”