MLB Update: Brandon McCarthy continues to shine on mound with New York Yankees
The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players.
Brandon McCarthy (Glendale native) New York Yankees pitcher: Since being acquired by the Yankees from the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 6, McCarthy has been outstanding for the Yankees. With four starting pitchers currently on the disabled list, McCarthy has helped fill a major void in the Yankees’ rotation.
McCarthy has turned things around since joining the Yankees and has kept New York in playoff contention with two months remaining in the season. Since joining the Yankees, McCarthy is 3-0 with a 2.55 earned-run average. He’s struck out 20 and walked just four in 24 2/3 innings. By comparison, McCarthy went 3-10 and sported a 5.01 ERA with Arizona.
“It’s a nice feeling,” McCarthy, 31, told ny.com. “It’s the opposite of how I felt early this year when I was a burden on a team and I was the guy holding things up. At least, to come here and feel good about myself again in a pennant race is a great feeling.”
McCarthy’s latest win came against the host Texas Rangers, one of four of his former teams he’s played for, on Tuesday. He allowed four runs (all earned) and nine hits in six innings in New York’s wild 12-11 victory. The Yankees trailed, 4-1, after the fifth before they scored seven runs in the seventh to put McCarthy in line for the win. The Yankees nearly squandered a 10-4 lead in the late innings before fending off a late rally bid by the Rangers.
All three of McCarthy’s wins have come since the All-Star break. He turned back the Cincinnati Reds on July 19 and defeated Texas on July 24. Against the Rangers on July 24, McCarthy held Texas to one run and four hits and struck out five in six innings in a 4-2 win.
The Yankees are 55-52 and in third place in the American League’s East Division. McCarthy, a right-hander, is next slated to start Monday against the Detroit Tigers.
Marco Estrada (Glendale Community College, 2003) Milwaukee Brewers pitcher: The versatile Estrada has played a role in Milwaukee retaining the top spot in the National League’s Central Division. Entering Friday’s game against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals, the Brewers are 60-49.
Estrada, a right-hander and a former All-Western State Conference honoree with Glendale college, began the season as a starter. He went 2-4 in his last six starts before being moved to the bullpen prior to the All-Star break in mid-July. He’s made three relief appearances, the last coming Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Estrada went 2/3 of an inning, allowing one hit in a 5-1 loss.
Estrada got plenty of work in his previous outing July 19 against the host Washington Nationals. Estrada entered in the bottom of the first inning in relief of Matt Garza and surrendered three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings in Milwaukee’s 8-3 defeat..
Overall, Estrada is 7-6 with a 4.92 earned-run average. He’s struck out 95, walked 38 and given up 27 home runs in 115 1/3 innings.
Christian Bergman (St. Francis High, 2006) Colorado Rockies pitcher: Though Bergman, a former All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, is still about three weeks away from coming off the 60-day disabled list after suffering a broken right hand while being struck by a line drive during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers in June, he’s already back on a rehab assignment with the double-A Tulsa Drillers.
According to the Denver Post, the right-hander had a cast removed from his hand last week and tossed 50 batting-practice pitches at Coors Field.
“My arm feels great,” Bergman, 26, told the Denver Post. “But my arm was never an issue. I was able to maintain it. I can throw all of my pitches. And catching the ball feels fine.”
After being called up by Colorado (44-64) from triple-A Colorado Springs, Bergman went 0-2 with a 7.20 earned-run average in three starts. He’s struck out 10 and walked two while allowing five home runs in 15 innings before sustaining the injury June 20.
“It was frustrating, having to shut it down,” Bergman told the Denver Post. “I feel like I was starting to get comfortable in this environment. I’m ready to build on that — I don’t care where, whether it’s Tulsa or here. I just want to get back out there in games. Get out there and compete.”
Bergman, the California League Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and a Texas League All-Star last season with Tulsa, went three innings for Tulsa on Tuesday. He struck out two and walked three in Tulsa’s 7-2 home loss against the Springfield Cardinals. After yielding two first-inning runs, Bergman escaped a jam in the second before retiring the side in order in the third. Bergman threw 63 pitches, 38 for strikes, and didn’t get a decision.
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Follow Charles Rich on Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich .
