The Arizona Diamondbacks were counting on two former Oakland Athletics’ pitchers to deliver big things for them in 2013.

It hasn’t exactly worked out that way for Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy.

Both pitchers have spent time on the disabled list this season, and when they’ve been healthy, they’ve combined to go 10-19 with a 4.48 ERA in 39 starts.

But recently, both hurlers have turned around their on-field fortunes. McCarthy is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA in his last three outings, and Cahill has gone 2-0 while posting a 2.42 ERA in his last four appearances, including three starts.

“The mechanics are better and they’re not thinking about the mechanics as much on the mound,” D-backs’ manager Kirk Gibson told Burns and Gambo Tuesday on Arizona Sports 620. “When they weren’t throwing the ball well mechanically, they just weren’t very sound and the ball wasn’t coming out of the same arm slot very often.

“That’s a hard way to go and then you’re trying to make corrections and you’re thinking about that instead of just thinking about getting the guy out.”

In his last outing Sunday against San Francisco, McCarthy pitched eight strong innings in a 2-1 D-backs’ win.

“In McCarthy’s last start, he was great, he threw eight innings,” Gibson said. “He threw everything good and threw a ton of strikes — he had like 70 strikes in almost 100 pitches — that’s a high percentage.”

Cahill went five innings against the Giants last Thursday, allowing two runs and six hits on the way to his sixth win of the year, and third in a row.

“Cahill, he’s been throwing the ball more consistently, but probably isn’t as locked in as McCarthy is,” Gibson said.

“Those are guys we count on throughout the year, they both got hurt and they didn’t really give us what we needed early on, but right now, they’re throwing the ball much better.”

Follow @Vincemarotta