Brandon McCarthy is in stable condition after surgery
Oakland A’s starter Brandon McCarthy who was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Erick Aybar in yesterday’s game underwent surgery last night after a CT scan that revealed an epidural hemorrhage, brain contusion and skull fracture. reportedly McCarthy is alert, awake and resting comfortably and has shown signs of improvement following the two-hour operation.
McCarthy was hit in the fourth inning yesterday by a line drive off the bat of Los Angeles Angels shortstop Aybar. McCarthy immediately fell to the ground, and eventually walked off the mound under his own power.
“Our first concern is Brandon’s health, and we are heartened to learn he has shown progress in his recovery after surgery,” A’s general manager Billy Beane in the release. “We are glad to report he is stable, awake and alert. The team will provide further updates as they become available in the coming days. We would ask members of the media to respect the privacy of Brandon and his family during this time. As we travel to Seattle today, Brandon remains in everyone’s thoughts as we wish him a speedy recovery.”
The A’s also announced they have have scratched Triple-A Sacramento starter Dan Straily from his Friday start in the Pacific Coast League playoffs in anticipation of the team needing reinforcements on the pitching staff after losing McCarthy. Straily started three games for the A’s earlier this season and posted a respectable 3.18 ERA, but allowed four home runs. Straily averaged 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings in 11 starts at Triple-A after striking out 11.39 per nine innings at Double-A.
Another option to replace McCarthy may be to move Travis Blackley back into the starting rotation. Blackley has pitched 3.97 ERA across 12 starts
