Yu Darvish plans to throw a bullpen Thursday in his next step toward rejoining the Chicago Cubs‘ rotation.

Darvish played catch Wednesday at Dodger Stadium Ugo Amadi Jersey , a day after he rejoined the team following a five-inning, 57-pitch rehab start with Class A South Bend on Monday.

The Japanese right-hander has been on the disabled list since May 26 because of tendinitis in his right triceps.

”I don’t feel too bad today,” Darvish said through a translator. ”I wasn’t 100 percent on Monday and it’s just part of my rehab process. In terms of strength and endurance, I’m fine.”

Darvish is back at Dodger Stadium for the first time since his awful outing for Los Angeles in Game 7 of the World Series last year. He allowed five runs and got only five outs as the Houston Astros clinched in front of the L.A. fans. He was equally ineffective in losing Game 3, giving up four runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Darvish, who joined the Dodgers at the July 31 trade deadline, said the move from Texas revived his passion for the game. Before the trade Devin White Jersey , he had told his wife that he might retire when his contract with the Rangers ended.

”Joining the Dodgers, I had a chance to find myself and be around a very supportive group of people. Baseball was really fun with the Dodgers,” Darvish said. ”The Dodgers really took care of me.”

Darvish became a free agent after the World Series and although he wanted to stay with the Dodgers, he ended up signing a $126 million, six-year contract with the Cubs.

But he has yet to produce the kind of results that demanding Cubs fans expect. Darvish has a 4.95 ERA in eight starts and has been on the disabled list twice.

”I want to contribute to the team a lot more and to winning in general,” he said. ”Rather than what I want, it’s more about what my body feels.”

—

AP freelancer Olivia Sandusky contributed to this report.

—


BALTIMORE — The resilient Los Angeles Angels can finish a three-game sweep of the struggling Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at Camden Yards.

Los Angeles won the opener 7-1 on Friday and beat the Orioles 6-2 on a sweltering Saturday afternoon.

The Angels entered the series on a six-game losing streak L.J. Collier Jersey , but will leave Baltimore very much alive in the American League wild-card race.

On Saturday, Mike Scioscia managed his 3,000th regular-season game for the Angels, not that he has kept count.

“You don’t think about it,” said Scioscia, who has been with the club since 2000 and is 1,613-1 Johnathan Abram Jersey ,387 (.538 winning percentage). “It’s 3,000, one game at a time.”

The Orioles have lost seven straight and fell to 0-15 against AL West opponents. Manager Buck Showalter vows the team will keep fighting and try to find bright spots.

“It’s been tougher on our fans and our players. I don’t look at it that way,” said Showalter, whose team has lost 17 of 18 at home. “All things considered, it’s an unbelievable way to do something you love and be able to pay the bills with it.”

Deck McGuire (0-0, 6.08 ERA) will start for the Angels in place of John Lamb Maxx Crosby Jersey , who had an MRI on his left elbow that revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Lamb will undergo UCL reconstruction surgery in Los Angeles.

The Angels have seven starting pitchers on the disabled list.

As a result, they will be leaning on McGuire to help stabilize the rotation. However, he has made only two previous major league starts among his 12 appearances and has never faced Baltimore.

Los Angeles had a positive development with phenom Shohei Ohtani, who hit in a simulated game Saturday at Angel Stadium. Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow. The team is hoping he can avoid Tommy John surgery.

“There definitely be a consensus from the medical staff on how he feels,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see if he has enough velocity to go out there and play.”

Ohtani underwent stem-cell therapy and received a platelet-rich plasma injection to heal a damaged ligament. He was given the OK to begin batting practice Thursday.

Kevin Gausman (3-6, 4.20 ERA) is looking to help pull the Orioles from their doldrums. However, he lost his last four decisions and has not completed seven innings in any of his last eight starts.

In his last outing Foster Moreau Jersey , Gausman was solid in earning a no-decision, allowing one run and five hits in six innings of a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners. He was effective managing his pitch count throughout the game.

“That’s huge,” he said. “Kind of seems like that’s what I do every start lately is kind of get in jams the first inning, throw a lot of pitches. It’s always big to kind of bounce back and have a quick inning.”

Gausman is 1-3 with a 5.97 ERA in five starts against the Angels.

Baltimore also received some bad news on the injury front. Reliever Darren O’Day opted to have season-ending surgery on his injured left hamstring. The recovery time is six months, according to Showalter.

O’Day also missed more than a month with a hyperextended elbow. The sidearmer is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 20 games this season. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list Friday.

Showalter said O’Day has not yet finalized the time and place of the procedure.