The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 73 MICHIGAN IN THE PROS thriving again as a starting pitcher. As of Sept. 19, he was 3-2 with a 1.87 ERA in seven starts (nine total appearances) with the Padres after going 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA with the Cubs. "He's getting better every single time out," Padres manager Andy Green told The San Diego Union- Tribune. "The command's there, the sinker 's there, the location's there. He's just making pitches on a consis- tent basis." "It's been awhile since I've gotten consistent work," Richard added. "It's nice to be able to work out of some stuff and not be in and out. Being able to make adjustments, staying in the game and then getting things going my way has made a big difference." Richard has made a positive im- pression in San Diego — on the field and in the clubhouse. "It was a lot of foresight from the front office to acquire him and bring him in," Green said. "And not just the way he pitches on the mound, but the type of person he is in the clubhouse. He is that high quality in- dividual everyone kind of gravitates towards. "I know he's pitching because he wants a shot in the rotation next year, and he's making his case for it." ZACH PUTNAM IS RECOVERING NICELY FROM ELBOW SURGERY Former Michigan pitcher and current Chicago White Sox reliever Zach Putnam recently had surgery to remove bone chips from his el- bow, and despite having yet to throw, he's already deemed the op- eration a success. "It was about two weeks ago — I was about a month out of surgery — I started feeling like, 'Wow, this is coming back,'" Putnam told CSNCh- icago.com. "It was nice because at times I was forgetting I had surgery. I felt that good. "I'm definitely better than I was before already. I'm excited to see what the next four to six weeks hold as far as where I'm going to be at." Putnam finished his shortened sea- son with a 2.30 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 27 innings this season. He said he expects to start throwing in Decem- ber. General manager Rick Hahn said he thought Putnam would be ready in time for spring training. Though he struggled with the decision to have surgery, Putnam said the deci- sion proved to be the right one. "There was one really good size bone chip and then just some pieces of debris," Putnam said. "It was defi- nitely surgery that needed to happen and that fact was reiterated after I saw what they took out of there. It was pretty gnarly stuff. "I've been doing physical therapy and range of motion here for a few weeks, and everything is coming back really nicely. I'm ahead of where I would probably normally be." The NBA MITCH MCGARY'S FUTURE WITH OKLAHOMA CITY IS IN DOUBT Former Michigan big man and current Oklahoma City Thunder for- ward Mitch McGary has been sus- pended 10 additional games to begin the 2016-17 season for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy, the league announced. McGary was initially suspended the first five games of the season because of a drug violation, and with a second suspension will now miss the opening 15 games. McGary, the team's 21st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft in 2014, could be in danger of being released, accord- ing to reports. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski wrote, "The violation isn't believed to be another positive test, but rather a failure to live up to procedural guidelines set forth in the program, league sources said. "If Oklahoma City has its way, Mc- Gary has played his last game for the franchise. Getting an asset in return for him has become more difficult with another suspension, but teams that trade for him can play him in the preseason to get a better sense of his preparation and function within a team before the suspension begins in the regular season." McGary could also be released and claimed on waivers or become a re- stricted free agent. McGary left the Thunder for the final few weeks of the season last year for personal reasons, leaving the team on his own. He was initially suspended for five games in July. "I clearly made a mistake, and for that, I apologize to the organization, my teammates and our fans," he wrote in a statement. "I realize there are only so many opportunities given to you, and I need to make sure that, as a person and as a player, I take ac- countability and ensure that this does not happen again." McGary failed a drug test at U-M that would have cost him his junior season had he not entered the 2014 NBA Draft. He averaged 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 32 games as an NBA rookie, but spent a lot of time last year in the NBDL and played in only 20 NBA games. ❏ Frank Clark • NFL The Seattle Seahawks' second-year player notched his best NFL game in a 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sept. 18, notching three tackles, one assist and two sacks. He's becoming a force off the edge for the franchise. Glenn Robinson III • NBA Robinson enjoyed a great summer for the Indiana Pacers' sum- mer league squad, but he made headlines for helping the Red Cross in its efforts to aid Kokomo, Ind., tornado victims in late August. Robinson also promised a young cancer victim he would wear his name on his shoes this season to honor him. Mike Cammalleri • NHL The former Wolverine, now a New Jersey Devil, announced he was 100 percent after missing half of last season with an injury. Cammalleri has not reached the 70-game mark in games played for seven straight seasons. HEADLINERS Former Michigan athletes in the news this month