9/7 Samardzija to be shutdown

Saturday will be Jeff Samardzija’s last start of the season for the Cubs. The right-hander, who will be making his team-leading 28th start, has totaled 165 2/3 innings this season, which is nearly as many as he had in the big leagues coming into the year (169 2/3). There’s nothing wrong, Samardzija is healthy, but the team made the decision looking ahead to next year and his future. Dale Sveum said Samardzija could be the Cubs’ No. 1 or 2 starter in 2013.

“It’s unfortunate,” Samardizija said. “I’d really would’ve liked to finish the season and that way I could look back and see how I did from beginning to end. You have to respect what they’re planning on doing, and what their plans are for the organization and the team. I talked to Dale about it, and I put a lot  of my faith in him, and in [pitching coach Chris] Bosio, too, that this is the right move for the right reasons.”

Samardzija, who totaled 88 innings last season in relief, has been trying to talk the Cubs out of this since Spring Training.

– Carrie Muskat