Right-hander Brandon McCarthy made his second start as a Yankee this afternoon, going up against the Reds in an inter-league match-up. McCarthy limited the Reds to one run over six innings, allowing six hits, walking none, and striking out nine. That makes it back-to-back solid starts for McCarthy in his new uniform after coming over from the Diamondbacks in a trade that sent Vidal Nuno to Arizona.
McCarthy allowed four runs over 6 2/3 innings to the Indians in his previous start, but only one of those runs was earned. He credits his recent success to his cut fastball. Via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, McCarthy says the Diamondbacks discouraged him from using the cutter, but the Yankees encouraged him to bring it back. He left the D-Backs with a 5.01 ERA ERA in 109 2/3 innings despite a stellar 93/20 K/BB ratio.
McCarthy, 31, will try to make it three solid starts in a row against the Rangers in his next start.