McCarthy fans Coghlan 0:26
3/18/15: Brandon McCarthy starts the game off by striking out Chris Coghlan looking
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Brandon McCarthy wouldn’t offer a “dead-arm” excuse for his shaky outing on Wednesday.
“Physically, everything was fine,” McCarthy said after allowing six runs on eight hits in four innings during a 7-5 loss to the Cubs. “I struggled mechanically, and my stuff didn’t do what I wanted it to do.”
McCarthy said he sometimes likes “failing” in Spring Training to dispel bulletproof notions built up during an offseason dreaming of Cy Young Awards.
“You realize quickly this is still hard to do,” he said. Watching a “merry-go-round” on the bases sharpens the focus so you know “this is what you need to do and this is what you need to feel.”
Manager Don Mattingly broke down McCarthy’s struggles through the eyes of a hitter.
“A lot of balls were up,” he said. “When that happens, they get flat, going from side to side and not down.”
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
