Brandon McCarthy was dominant on Saturday, blanking the Miami Marlins for his first win not only with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but also since being struck in the head with an Erick Aybar line-drive on August 5, 2012 against the Los Angeles Angels.
McCarthy registered his third career shutout (his first since September 3, 2011 against the Seattle Mariners) in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. I
n going the distance, McCarthy allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out five batters. The Arizona starter threw an impressive 68 strikes and needed only 99 pitches to finish the game.
After a rough start to the season, which saw McCarthy struggling with a 0-3 record and 6.75 ERA in 40.0 innings of work, McCarthy has rebounded magnificently over his past two starts.
Following a scoreless eight-inning performance against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 12, McCarthy continued with Saturday’s gem, now the owner of a more respectable 4.74 ERA and a solid 37/8 strikeout to walk ratio in 57.0 innings.
Questions concerning confidence and performance in the wake of McCarthy’s head injury late last season have surrounded the Arizona starter all season; however, back-to-back exceptional pitching performances have quelled some of those questions and will serve as confidence builders in future starts.
With the 1-0 victory, the Arizona Diamondbacks improve to 25-18 on the season, maintaining a one game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West standings.
