PHOENIX -- Brandon McCarthy had goals for the afternoon and plans for more goals in the evening, and he accomplished at least half his agenda with his outing Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starter continued to look like the right-handed complement to the left-handed Clayton Kershaw the club has needed, giving up two runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out six and walked just one in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory that avoided a sweep in the desert.

“Everything was efficient, at least for strikes,” McCarthy said. “The pitches weren’t all fantastic, but they were at least in the zone. [Catcher Yasmani Grandal] called a great game and kept them off-balance. They were aggressive in some counts, so we were able to take advantage of that and get some quicker outs.”

Next on McCarthy’s day planner was a short drive down the freeway to see a soccer game. McCarthy, who bought into the ownership group of the United Soccer League’s Phoenix Rising this past summer, was ready to exchange his player’s hat for one befitting of an owner.

Brandon McCarthy became the only Dodgers starter other than Clayton Kershaw to pitch into the seventh inning this season. Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

The Rising was set to introduce Didier Drogba to the home fans. Not only is the soccer legend from the Ivory Coast planning to play for the Rising at some point this season, he is then expected to join the ownership group in the future and help the club in a bid to one day join Major League Soccer.

To say things were really coming together for McCarthy on Sunday would be an understatement.

“[Pitching] is a priority and that’s almost a secondary life, but it’s going to be a very cool thing over there,” McCarthy said. “I get to see some friends and it’s just a really fun thing to be a part of. But it would have been a lot less fun if today had not gone well.”

When he threw a pitch in the seventh inning against the Diamondbacks, McCarthy became the first Dodgers starting pitcher other than Kershaw to last that long in a game this year. For a Dodgers staff desperate for somebody to supply innings, McCarthy’s effort has been appreciated.

“He’s pounding the strike zone, he has confidence in his entire mix, he’s aggressive and I love his tempo,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We needed it. When you have Clayton, who is your ace, who is your stopper, to have another guy alongside Clayton to kind of give the pen a day [off], and to win a baseball game [is big].”

Roberts even suggested that McCarthy could get an extra day of rest before his next start, a move that could end up pairing him with Kershaw on back-to-back days. If both starters continue to supply innings, it would give Roberts a chance to reset his bullpen each time through the rotation.

Kenta Maeda was supposed to be that guy the Dodgers could pair with Kershaw to reset the bullpen, but as his struggles continue, McCarthy has been the dependable one. McCarthy entered spring training with question marks after developing something resembling the yips while on the mound last season.

McCarthy has called last year's issues a mental hiccup, although he was returning from Tommy John surgery in 2016, no doubt learning to trust that his elbow would hold strong.

Instead of fretting this winter, McCarthy said he slept well, went through his typical routine and came back strong in spring training. He was one of 10 potential candidates for the Dodgers’ starting rotation and he ended up performing the best of those who didn’t have a set spot.

“Nobody is a bigger fan of a player than himself, and I talk about being the leader of your own fan club,” Roberts said. “He believes in what he potentially can do and what he has done at this level. But for me, my sample, he was hurt and he came back and there were some things mentally getting in there. Just what he has done, he just has a good look in his eye. I like the word 'relentless' and I think right now he’s in that focused mindset and he has been relentless.”

McCarthy, now in the third year of a four-year, $48 million deal, is giving the Dodgers what they had hoped for, but even they couldn’t have been expecting him to deliver No. 2 starter stuff behind Kershaw.

“I don’t have expectations; I don’t sit down and map things out how they should go,” McCarthy said when asked if he is even exceeding expectations after surgery in 2015, and struggles upon his return in 2016. “I’m pitching the way I can and should. So that’s as far as I really consider that. If I feel right and able to execute and command, then results should go in my favor.”

From the owner’s box, McCarthy won't impact wins and losses in the same way. But having Drogba on the ownership group's side now should help matters. The mere presence of the superstar is supposed to immediately help the Rising ownership group with that future MLS bid.

The club currently plays its home games in a pop-up stadium where Scottsdale and Mesa meet, but things could be moving in a different direction soon. When the team gets a proper stadium, it could be the home that Drogba built.

“I have hated him for what he has done to my favorite team for years,” said McCarthy, who has been a longtime supporter of Liverpool, while Drogba played for Chelsea. “So I went in to meet him with a low expectation and he was fantastic. I’m very cautious around superstars, and tamp things down, and he did not have that feel of somebody who is going to be like that. I thought that was great.”

If McCarthy is going to keep pitching like this for the Dodgers, perhaps he can invite Drogba to a baseball game and show him what an important piece of a baseball starting rotation looks like.

“I told him there was one game where he ruined a full week for me,” McCarthy said. “I’ll keep reminding him.”

And if Drogba claimed an allegiance to the Diamondbacks after arriving to his new home away from home in the desert this week, perhaps McCarthy returned the favor.