D-backs pitcher Brandon McCarthy ready for rehab start with Reno
Jul 19, 2013, 8:50 PM | Updated: 9:59 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy has spent significant time on the disabled list this season with a recurring shoulder issue, but on Friday said he’s ready to head to Triple-A Reno and make a rehab start.
“Yeah, I’m gonna leave (Saturday) and play Sunday,” he said.
McCarthy, who has a 2-4 record with a 5.00 ERA, originally went on the 15-day disabled list May 31 with what was diagnosed as shoulder inflammation. He’s been making progress over six weeks and before the All-Star break, manager Kirk Gibson said it was likely McCarthy would head to Reno and make two starts before returning to the big league club.
After his bullpen session on Friday, McCarthy said how many starts he makes with Reno is still up in the air.
“I think it just depends on what they need,” said the right-hander. “Throw Sunday and if you get your innings and you get your pitches and you’re pretty close to being ready then it’s just kind of up to them if they want to let me stretch out in a big league game or another one in Reno is fine, it’s just kind of up to them at this point.”
This stint on the DL is the ninth in eight major-league seasons for McCarthy, with six of the eight being due to shoulder problems.
As much as McCarthy hates focusing on the fact that this is a recurring issue, he says it does give him an idea of how to deal with it.
“I’ve done it enough that I kind of understand the ups and downs and stuff. The little seizure flare-up kind of threw a wrench in this one that isn’t normal, but outside of that, it’s kind of been what I expect and I kind of know the timeline and where it goes so you don’t get too mentally defeated,” he said. “You see progress almost every day and that’s kind of what keeps you going. The last few weeks as you get closer and you’re on a mound and you start to see games begin than you really start to pick it up and turn it back into a big league routine.”
The seizure McCarthy referenced occurred while he was eating at a Valley restaurant with his wife. He admitted that it may have set him back, but he continued to move forward.
“It threw it off a little bit,” he said. “It just kind of slowed the process down a little bit, whether it was a few days or a week or a week and a half, it just kind of screwed with the timeline but again, it’s just another thing, get through it and deal with it.”
