If there’s one word that best describes the series finale between the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s ‘wild.’ The Rockies jumped out to a 5-0 lead only to suffer a 12-6 defeat and sweep at the hands of the National League West leaders.
But before the game got to taking one eventful twist after another, the Dodgers nervously watched as Brandon McCarthy became a shade of himself. Derailed last season by a case of the yips, the right-hander suddenly lost control on Sunday afternoon.
McCarthy needed a mere 13 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 first inning, but then walked two batters and threw three wild pitches in the second. McCarthy went just three innings, his shortest start of the season.
The 33-year-old didn’t definitively state the trouble was a recurrence of what surfaced last year, but said he would draw on overcoming that if it is the case, per Joshua Thornton of MLB.com:
“It’s just get back to work and see what I get to and see what I’m able to do,” McCarthy said. “Hopefully that lends some insight to this year and I know how to confront it and hopefully that’s the case, I guess you never know.”
While McCarthy threw another wild pitch in the third, he managed to gain enough control to limit damage. The Dodgers’ failure to turn a double play certainly didn’t help matters.
McCarthy allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits, issued two walks, and had two strikeouts. He entered the outing with six consecutive starts of two earned runs or fewer allowed.
Last season, McCarthy went 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA through his four starts upon returning from Tommy John surgery. He then struggled mightily in three ensuing starts.
McCarthy failed to throw more than 3.2 innings in any of the outings, issued a combined 15 walks, hit two batters, and saw several pitches sail to the backstop over that stretch. He set a career high with five walks then twice matched it.
McCarthy was eventually placed on the disabled list with what was described as a hip injury, and he made one start and one relief appearance after returning in September.
This season he’s 6-3 with a 3.25 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 13 games; the Dodgers are 9-4 in those contests.
