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Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy is getting closer and closer to his return to the majors from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander completed five innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in his fourth minor league rehab start, on Monday night in Visalia.
McCarthy allowed four runs on seven hits, including one home run, in his five innings, with three strikeouts and no walks. Three of the runs were earned, though there seemed to be at least three or four plays that probably should have been made that weren't, including one hit that was changed twice by the official scorer, first to an error then back to a hit.
But most importantly, McCarthy kept progressing and continued to build up his arm strength 14 months after surgery.
The right-hander was on a limit of five innings or 80 pitches, and ended up throwing 72 pitches on a brutally hot night in Visalia, 99 degrees at the 7 p.m. PT game time. McCarthy threw a whopping 56 of his 72 pitches (77.8 percent) for strikes.
McCarthy said he is unsure where his next start will be. He last pitched in a major league game on April 25, 2015, and had surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow five days later.
Player of the day
Dodgers 2015 fourth-round draft pick Willie Calhoun, 21, began the year as the seventh-youngest player in the Texas League, and the third-youngest on Double-A Tulsa, and has handled the promotion just fine, hitting .260/.326/.473 with 14 home runs, 16 doubles and 51 RBI in 74 games. The 5'8 second baseman won a pair of player of the week honors in June, and is one of nine Drillers to be named a Texas League All-Star, with that contest coming Tuesday night.
Calhoun didn't play on Monday, but posted to Instagram the news that he will represent the Dodgers in the 2016 Futures Game, which will take place on Sunday, July 10 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City split a doubleheader against Iowa (Cubs), winning the opener 10-9 on a walk-off single by Micah Johnson, but dropping the finale 3-2.
O`Koyea Dickson had three hits, including a home run in Game 1, and James Ramsey had three hits in Game 2. Rob Segedin, Charlie Culberson and Johnson all had three hits combined in the two games, with Segedin hitting a triple and double, Culberson a double and Johnson a walk.
Trevor Oaks didn't fare so well in is Triple-A debut on the mound, allowing six runs on 10 hits in his six innings, but at the plate was 2-for-2 with a walk. Carlos Frias allowed two runs in five innings in Game 2, with four strikeouts.
Austin Barnes did not play either game on Monday, nor did he play on Sunday, after taking a few foul balls off the mask during Satuday's game. OKC announcer Alex Freedman passed along the note that Barnes tested negative for a concussion. Barnes might play the infield on Tuesday, and could be back behind the plate by Thursday, after Wednesday's scheduled off day for the team.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers are off three days for the All-Star break, with a bevy of Drillers set to participate in the Texas League All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Springfield. Tulsa has three starters for the North Division — Calhoun at second base, Alex Verdugo in center field, and Drew Maggi at shortstop.
Pitchers Chase De Jong and Scott Barlow are also on the team, as is outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo. Three All-Stars who won't participate are Oaks and Wednesday Dodgers starter Brock Stewart, both since promoted, and catcher Kyle Farmer, who is still out after getting hit on the hand by a pitch on ...
Those three have been replaced by Caleb Dirks, Jordan Schafer and Paul Hoenecke.
Class-A Rancho Cucamonga
The Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks) scored in seven of their eight offensive innings in a 9-4 win over the Quakes on Monday night up north. Rancho Cucamonga catcher Julian Leon was 1-for-4 with a home run, and second baseman Tim Locastro was 2-for-4 with a double in defeat.
Michael Ahmed started in right field on Monday, his first start in the outfield all season after making starts at all four infield positions in 2016. Ahmed offered the same infield utility in 2015 with Great Lakes, and also played six games in the outfield as well — three games in left field, two in right and once in center.
Class-A Great Lakes
Down by three runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth, the Loons rallied for a 6-5 walk-off win over the Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays). Gage Green, who has played every position except shortstop and pitcher this season, entered the game as a pinch runner then remained as the catcher, and beat out an infield single in the ninth inning, while newcomer Noah Perio scored the winning run from second base.
The Dodgers signed Perio, 24, earlier in the day. The second baseman was in the Marlins' system for six seasons through 2014 but played since the start of 2015 with the independent Sioux Falls.
Center fielder Darien Tubbs, picked three weeks ago in the 16th round out of Memphis, became the first 2016 Dodgers draftee to join a full-season affiliate. He was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base, and doubled home the tying run in the ninth inning.
Rookie-level Ogden
The Raptors fell to the Orem Owlz (Angels) 4-3, but catcher Will Smith was 2-for-4 with a run scored, ahd designated hitter Luis Paz was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Rookie-level Arizona
The Dodgers fell to the Mariners 5-4. Veteran relief pitcher Randy Choate struck out three in his one inning of work, and allowed a run.
Right fielder Romer Cuadrado, signed out of Venezuela on July 2, 2014 for $750,000, was 3-for-3 with a walk and two home runs. He turns 19 on Sept. 12.
Transactions
Class-A: Dodgers signed Perio and assigned him to Ogden; Tubbs was promoted from Ogden; Loons placed infielder Brendon Davis and outfielder Deivy Castillo on the disabled list. Rookie: Outfielder Luke Rale, the Dodgers' seventh-round pick this year, was promoted fro the AZL to Ogden.
Monday scores
Game 1 - Oklahoma City 10, Iowa 9; Game 2 - Iowa 3, Oklahoma City 2
Tuesday schedule
9:05 a.m. PT: Iowa (Clayton Richard) at Oklahoma City (Hyun-Jin Ryu)
4:05 p.m.: Lansing (Ryan Borucki) at Great Lakes (Isaac Anderson)
5:10 p.m.: Texas League All-Star Game
6 p.m.: Idaho Falls (TBA) vs Ogden (Miguel Urena)
7 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Andrew Sopko) at Visalia (Joel Payamps)