Not even Visine got the red out better than Brandon McCarthy.
On Sept. 5, in an ESPN-televised makeup game, the right-hander muzzled the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. He worked seven shutout innings, struck out seven and permitted just three scratch hits for the White Sox.
Few have so thoroughly handled the Red Sox. No White Sox pitcher did this season. But the 22-year-old McCarthy, a former star at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs and later at Lamar Community College, was left off the White Sox’s ALDS roster.
What gives?
Veteran Orlando Hernandez has pitched more big postseason games than McCarthy has games. Yet in a testament of how highly the White Sox regard McCarthy, he’s expected to throw five to six innings in an Arizona Instructional League game this weekend, leaving him available to join the rotation if the White Sox advance.
“It’s a possibility, so I have to be ready,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy is considered the White Sox’s top prospect, accelerating through the minor leagues as trade rumors buzzed he would be traded to the Marlins for A.J. Burnett. McCarthy appeared in 12 games for Chicago, going 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA, including a 1.67 ERA in his past five starts.
“It was exciting to get called up, but not as much you might think because I had a job to do,” said McCarthy, a human No. 2 pencil at 6-feet-7, 190 pounds. “It will mean more after the season when I can look back on it.”
McCarthy is the latest entry in what has become an impressive inventory of major-league pitchers from Colorado. Toronto’s Roy Halladay won a Cy Young, Scott Elarton finished 2005 with 11 wins, Shawn Chacon helped rescue the Yankees and Brad Lidge is considered the major league’s best closer behind Mariano Rivera.
“Lidge has kind of taken over the reins, and I didn’t even know he was from Colorado until this winter,” McCarthy said. “I look forward to pitching in Coors Field someday. I don’t remember having any problems pitching in altitude in high school, but I didn’t have to have my best stuff to win back then.”
Relief work
Boston pitcher Matt Clement might be available out of the bullpen in Game 3 of the AL division series Friday. Clement started Game 1 on Tuesday and allowed eight runs in 3 1/3 innings of a 14-2 loss.
“Is it going to happen? It might not happen, but we’re trying to cover every base we can,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
Francona would not say whether a relief appearance would rule out a potential Game 5 start for Clement.
“Me sitting here and naming a Game 5 starter would be a little presumptuous,” Francona said.
Clement has made only two major-league relief appearances, both in 1998, when he was a rookie with the San Diego Padres.
Although he was still smarting from a shot by Carl Everett in the third inning that hit his thigh and wrist, Clement threw on the side before Game 2.
“He’s got a pretty nasty bruise on his thigh that I think is going to get worse before it gets better, and a contusion on his (left) wrist that I don’t think is much of an issue,” Francona said. “He wanted to go out and try to prepare like, this is what I’m aiming for. We also told him that if he can’t do it, we won’t do it.”Footnotes
John Olerud started at first base in favor of Kevin Millar because of his strong glove, Francona said. Olerud robbed Scott Podsednik of a base hit in the fourth inning. … White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on talking to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “Not too many people like the president, but I do. My mom will kill me, but it was an honor.”
