Oakland Athletics pitcher Brandon McCarthy is making progress since getting hit in the head by a line drive last week and could leave the hospital to return home very soon.
McCarthy is still recovering from surgery, which helped to relieve pressure to his brain after a ball struck him directly on the right side of his head last week.
The A's opened a series against the Angels on Monday and won 3-1 behind seven strong innings from pitcher Jarrod Parker and home runs from Cliff Pennington and Brandon Moss. Oakland is currently in first place in the AL Wild Card race and snapped the Angels' six-game win streak.
A's trainer Nick Paparesta said that McCarthy is likely to leave the hospital soon to finish his recovery at home, according to the Associated Press. Paparesta had said two days earlier that McCarthy was still in a "life-threatening" situation.
"I think that we're a little bit more comfortable with where he is and how he's doing, absolutely," Paparesta said.
Last week McCarthy was stuck by a hit from Angels player Erick Aybar. The 91-mph fastball came back at McCarthy's head and sent the pitcher directly to the ground with obvious pain. Aybar has kept in contact with McCarthy through text messages and has sent his support.
"It's been difficult," Aybar said through a translator Monday. "You never want to see something like that happen. You don't wish evil on anyone."
McCarthy took a few steps on Monday, including climbing up and down some stairs on his own. He currently is in the transitional care unit in his Bay Area hospital.
The pitcher is a fan of social media took to Twitter over the weekend to connect with fans and other players concerned for his condition.
"The good news in all of this, is that I set up my fantasy lineups beforehand. So there shall be no excuses at this point," said McCarthy.
He continued his use of Twitter on Monday, commenting on his favorite soccer team, the English club Liverpool. "It's a race to be recovered by the end of the international break," McCarthy tweeted. "Horrible weekend for no @lfc."
Paparesta though McCarthy's use of Twitter was a positive step and a good sign for the pitcher.
"I think that that's great. As you can tell they are his thoughts, and that's important," Paparesta said. "People are able to see that he's still got it all together."
McCarthy was Oakland's opening day started and was 8-6 with a solid 3.24 ERA on the season. Last year he was 9-9 with a 3.32 ERA and is considered one of the Athletics top young pitchers.
While McCarthy is recovering he will be replaced by Dan Straily, who will start on Tuesday night against Los Angeles.
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