Long County native Dustin McGowan continued his comeback last Saturday by notching his second win of the year for the Toronto Blue Jays.
McGowan went seven strong innings as the Blue Jays won, 7-2, in Pittsburgh. He allowed three hits and three walks, while striking out five Pirates. He faced 26 batters and threw 101 pitches, 62 of which were strikes. So far this season, through Wednesday night, McGowan’s earned-run average was 4.80 to go with a 2-1 record. His next start is at 7:07 tonight against the Los Angeles Angels in Toronto, according to ESPN.com.
McGowan’s effort against the Pirates was the deepest he has gone in a game this season. He has had two solid outings in a row, allowing just three runs in his last 13 innings. In his first four starts, the 32-year-old veteran lasted past the fourth inning just once, and it appeared that fatigue was affecting him. The reversal in output comes in line with McGowan’s decision two weeks ago to begin wearing an insulin pump.
According to an MLB.com story by Gregor Chisholm, McGowan, who has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, noticed his blood-sugar level was spiking to around 300 in his earlier starts, which may have contributed to his early fatigue. A normal blood-sugar level is around 120.
“My blood sugar still gets erratic sometimes, but that’s part of the game for me,” McGowan said. “The adrenaline going and everything, it does what it wants to do and I can’t control it sometimes.”
As of Thursday morning, Toronto was tied with Boston at 17-17 in the tight American League East Division race.
Baltimore was on top of the division with a 17-14 record.
McGowan picks up second win of season
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