McCarthy headed back to DL, Griffin on the way

OAKLAND -- Brandon McCarthy will not be making his scheduled start on Sunday against the Giants. Instead, he will be hitting the disabled list. Sunday morning, the the A's will announce that River Cats' right-handed pitcher A.J. Griffin will make his Major League debut in his place. He will be opposed by Matt Cain.The news is particularly frustrating for McCarthy, who will be making another trip to the DL after returning from a previous stint on June 2. He has battled through lingering shoulder soreness over his last seven starts, three of which have come on extra rest. He is 6-0 with a 1.96 ERA over that span."It sucks," McCarthy said. "The last two weeks have been about as mentally harrowing as I have had in my career. Dealing with pain every day is miserable. If I can get out on the mound I can be fine, but it's just not doing it." McCarthy has undergone multiple MRIs and the tests show no significant damage. Yet after each appearance, the pain in his right throwing shoulder lingers. "The doctor is not telling you that your arm looked like a gun went off inside of it," he said. "They are saying it is fine and it's healthy. It just doesn't feel right. It's just kind of miserable. You obsess over the pain. It's a big stressful game. It hasn't been a whole lot of fun."The 28-year-old righty mentioned possibly getting another opinion on his shoulder. He keeps being told he can pitch. He has taken short breaks of nine, 15, and 11 days off between starts this season. The longest break came when he went on the DL. At this point rest seems to be the only solution. "There's been so few answers, the frustration level just kind of goes off the charts," he said. "Nobody can look at me and say, 'This is why, let's address this.' That's how I like to handle things. You just kind of want to pull your hair out."McCarthy is in his seventh season, this will be his eighth career trip to the DL, his third in his two seasons with the As.Last year at this time, he experienced a similar problem in the shoulder. He missed the entire month of June as part of a six-week DL stint. He ended up coming back to finish the season making 16 starts after injury. "I can't keep doing this for the next three months. Let's get this done where I can make a big run of starts and be done with it." A.J. Griffin's last start came on June 19. Coincidentally, that is the last time McCarthy pitched -- so he is on turn. He is 3-1 with a 2.81 ERA in Sacramento. Griffin has 40 strikeouts and seven walks in 51 innings pitched. He is listed as six-foot-five, 215 pounds. Griffin, 24, isn't on the A's 40-man roster though, so another corresponding move will have to be made to clear a spot for him.