McCarthy solid as Diamondbacks tie A’s

The Arizona Diamondbacks ended Friday’s game against the A’s in a 2-2 tie. Arizona’s spring training record now stands at 8-10-2.

The Good:

Despite hitting a “wall,” Diamondbacks starter Brandon McCarthy pitched a solid outing. He threw four innings, allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out six.

Also pitching for Arizona Friday was groundball magnet Brad Ziegler. Once again he didn’t disappoint, going one inning with one strikeout.

Offensively, the D-backs played some small ball to get on the board in the first inning with RBIs by right fielder Gerardo Parra and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

The Bad:

Arizona recorded ten hits on the day but also left nine baserunners stranded.

Noted:

Former Diamondbacks center fielder Chris Young has not played in a single game against Arizona this spring. The A’s have faced the D-backs three times thus far.

He Said It:

Starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy was feeling the heat, literally, in the fourth inning. The thermometer hit 93 Friday and McCarthy said that caused him to hit the wall.

He was thankful for the called strike that ended his outing in his final inning.

“Yeah, that was not a strike, but I am really thankful for it. It’s one of those ones that makes the day look a lot better at least and lets me end on a good note, but I was struggling to execute there.”

The called third strike came against Oakland first baseman Daric Barton in the top of the fourth inning with a runner on second. The fourth inning is also when McCarthy gave up his only two earned runs of the game.

Up Next:

The D-backs head to Peoria to take on the Padres Saturday. Righty Ian Kennedy will start for Arizona and Tyson Ross will go for the Padres. Tyler Skaggs and J.J. Putz are also scheduled to pitch for the D-backs. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.

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