OAKLAND -- On Saturday in Stockton Brett Anderson returned to the pitching mound in game action for the first time since June 5, 2011. The occasion marked a key step in the left-handed pitcher's recovery from "Tommy John" surgery. In a rehab start results aren't that important -- he allowed two runs on four hits in two innings of work. What is more important is how he feels the day after. According to Anderson, he is sore because of the extra adrenaline kicking in while on the mound, but is otherwise fine.
REWIND: Anderson throws 35 pitches in rehab debut
"The results were OK," Anderson said. "The fact that I was pitching on a mound in a game was good."Anderson has been out for over a year. He said that pitching in a professional game with the chance to worry about what his pitchers were doing instead of how his elbow was feeling, was a momentous occasion."All the hard work got put into yesterday," he said. "I appreciate the hard work that not only myself, but all the other people have done for me. It's one part of the process and I see light at the end of the tunnel now, to get back up here and pitch like Tommy Milone and Jarrod Parker and some of those other guys."The next step for Anderson will be to throw 45-60 pitches. A's manager Bob Melvin wouldn't divulge the team's game plan for Anderson, but they have something up their sleeves. "Once you get in a game then you start the countdown," Melvin said. "We have something mapped out for him."McCarthy Update
Brandon McCarthy bounced back fine after throwing a 40 pitch bullpen on Saturday. He mixed in all of his pitches. The next step for McCarthy will be a three inning simulated game in Arizona.
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