PHOENIX -- It¡¯s a fine line that Jake McCarthy walks these days.
The Diamondbacks outfielder is trying to keep perspective on his rough start to the season, reminding himself that there is a long way to go, that he¡¯s battled tough times before and that this too shall pass.
Yet he knows after watching his team make the playoffs by a single game in 2023 and miss the playoffs by a single game in 2024, that not coming through in a key situation in April can prove costly in September.
He¡¯s also not blind, so he sees the zero in the hit category when his name is put up on the scoreboard before his at-bats.
And he¡¯s not deaf, so when Yankees fans were serenading him about not having a hit on the season last week in New York, he definitely heard it.
In Monday¡¯s 5-1 loss to the Orioles, McCarthy was 0-for-3, making him 0-for-22 on the season.
¡°I'd be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating,¡± McCarthy said. ¡°I think you always want to get off to a good start. I think some of my at-bats have come up in crucial parts of the game, and I haven't come through, and that's always going to be frustrating for me, especially when I think I could have made a difference in the outcome of the game.¡±
Even in the best of seasons, hitters go through slumps, and 0-for-20 stretches happen.
But when they happen in June it doesn¡¯t get the same attention as it does when it¡¯s the beginning of the season.
¡°It's frustrating,¡± McCarthy said. ¡°You see the zero on the board, the fans are telling me about it. I¡¯ve made jokes about it. I¡¯m fully aware of how many games we¡¯re into the season and I¡¯m still [hitless].¡±
McCarthy has experienced ups and downs since being called up to the big leagues for the first time in August of 2021.
In 2022 he was one of the team¡¯s best players, finishing the year with a 117 OPS+, and he came to camp the following year penciled in as an everyday player.
But 2023 was a struggle and he was optioned back to Triple-A twice. Then while taking batting practice before Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers, he injured his oblique and missed the team¡¯s run to the World Series.
In other words, he¡¯s experienced the lows before and he¡¯s come back from them. He reminds himself of that now as the hitless at-bats pile up.
¡°I¡¯m frustrated but I¡¯m not panicked,¡± McCarthy said. ¡°Again, it's not like, ¡®Oh, I love where I'm at,¡¯ but I think I've come back from worse. I¡¯ve felt worse at the plate. I'm still going to be confident in my abilities and just keep going and hopefully get to a point where I look back at this and laugh and use it as a valuable experience.¡±
McCarthy and Alek Thomas competed for the center field job in the spring, which McCarthy won, but Thomas has continued to get more playing time with McCarthy¡¯s struggles.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, though, sent McCarthy up to pinch-hit in a key situation Sunday in Washington and he had him in the starting lineup Monday.
¡°I know it's not ideal for Jake, but believe it or not, it happens in sports where you just get out there and things aren't working,¡± Lovullo said. ¡°Whether you start feeling for the ball, or just don't have some good luck, I don't know what's going on there, but I know Jake is a proven hitter and he's going to be fine. We just got to stand beside him and help him in that space where he needs our assistance, and we'll be there for him.¡±