LOS ANGELES – Brandon McCarthy couldn’t overcome his control problems. But the Dodgers overcame his short start, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-4 Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
After walking five in each of his previous two starts, McCarthy spent extra time with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt between starts, trying to iron out some flaws in his delivery that he hoped were responsible.
The two bullpen sessions didn’t help. McCarthy walked three and hit a batter in the first inning, forcing in a run with one of the walks. He loaded the bases again in the second inning and walked in another run before he was pulled from the game by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.