For a second time this spring the Los Angeles Dodgers aligned Brandon McCarthy and Julio Urias to pitch in the same Cactus League game. Just like the first instance, McCarthy received the start. That left Urias to make a second consecutive relief appearance after a pair of starts earlier in the spring.
McCarthy was scheduled to throw four innings against the Seattle Mariners as he continues to build his innings base in preparation for the regular. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Urias was earmarked for two or three innings of work.
McCarthy did pitch into the fourth inning but was removed with two outs and a runner on second base after allowing a game-tying double.
According to Greg Johns and Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the right-hander was generally pleased with his outing of the year:
“The four-inning outing is really the first real hump,” said McCarthy. “I thought overall was good. The fourth inning, didn’t really feel fatigue, but the pitches weren’t as crisp. Progress-wise it was good, results were OK.”
McCarthy failed to protect a 1-0 lead in the first inning that Justin Turner provided via a solo home run, as he surrendered a two-run homer a mere two batters into the inning. However, McCarthy bounced back in the second inning to retire the side in order.
He worked around a base hit in the third, and allowed a home run and the aforementioned double prior to being lifted in the fourth inning. Despite some inconsistency through his four Cactus League starts, all signs point to the 33-year-old being part of the Dodgers’ rotation come Opening Day.
Scott Kazmir is still working through issues with his mechanics and is not yet scheduled to pitch in a game, Hyun-Jin Ryu is being slow-tracked, Brock Stewart was recently shut down due to shoulder tendinitis, and on Wednesday, Roberts indicated Urias is unlikely to break camp with the club.
Urias allowed two runs on two hits and threw 31 pitches in just 0.2 innings against the Mariners. He’s yet to complete more than two innings in any of his four games this spring.
As for McCarthy, he fared well last season upon returning from Tommy John surgery. But after strong showings through four starts, McCarthy struggled mightily and later revealed he suffered from a case of the yips.
