Results tagged ‘ Jeff Samardzija ’
3/4 Bunting tourney – UPDATED
For aficionados of the Cubs bunting tournament, play resumed Monday with four sweet 16 matches. Nate Halm, of the Cubs video staff, advanced by beating pitcher Travis Wood. Also advancing were Blake Parker, Michael Brenly and Edwin Maysonet. Logan Watkins also has advanced to the elite eight, beating Anthony Rizzo on Sunday.
– Carrie Muskat
3/3 Samardzija gets Opening Day start
Cubs manager Dale Sveum named Jeff Samardzija the Opening Day starter on Sunday, saying the right-hander earned the job with his performance in his last start of the 2012 season. Samardzija clinched it with his last outing Sept. 8 against the Pirates when he threw his first complete game, giving up four hits and striking out nine. He knew that was his last game of the season because the Cubs had set an innings limit in his first season as a starter.
“He’s a guy who players rally around because of his work ethic, his bulldog mentality when he’s on the mound,” Sveum said. “It’s a very obvious choice, really.”
The right-hander has come a long way from his days as an All-America wide receiver at Notre Dame.
“He’s that guy — it’s game on when he’s pitching that day,” Sveum said. “The other four days, he’s a starting pitcher who doesn’t sit around for four days. He’s into every game, and picking his teammates up. He’s fallen into that leadership role as well.”
– Carrie Muskat
3/3 Garza shut down; Samardzija OD starter
Cubs pitcher Matt Garza, who has been sidelined since Feb. 17 with a strained left lat, is still experiencing some lingering mild tightness and has been shut down for one week, and most likely will miss the first month of the regular season. The Cubs athletic trainers are not calling this a setback but say it’s part of the evaluation process.
Not having Garza or Scott Baker, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, means Travis Wood and Carlos Villanueva are now in the Cubs rotation. Speaking of the rotation, Dale Sveum officially named Jeff Samardzija as the Opening Day starter. More on that later.
Garza had spent the offseason rehabbing from elbow problems which forced him to miss the last 2 1/2 months of the season. His elbow has been fine. He felt soreness in his lat halfway through a live BP session.
“He’s pretty down about it,” Sveum said of the latest news. “He was obviously looking forward to it going well and it didn’t go so well. He’s pretty down right now about it.”
Garza played catch on Saturday and they tried to pick up the intensity. That’s when he felt some discomfort. Lat injuries can linger but Sveum said this isn’t as serious as some which hurt when you sneeze or laugh.
“It’s just to the point where he’s just not ready to throw a baseball yet,” Sveum said. “It’s not torn or real bad. It’s just not quite ready to throw. It’s not a setback, it didn’t get worse, it’s just not ready — it’s like an evaluation process. Obviously, the evaluation was that he’s not ready to step up any extra intensity throwing.”
Having Wood and Villanueva as options certainly helps. The Cubs didn’t have that kind of depth last year.
“That’s the nice thing about the depth we bring in, to be able to fill those two spots,” Sveum said. “We pretty much knew Baker would be the middle of April. We weren’t quite sure how the elbow would respond from Garza and that was going really well. Now we have this minor setback that obviously could turn into missing two weeks to a possible month.”
– Carrie Muskat
3/1 D-backs 6, Cubs 2
Tony Campana, traded to Arizona before Cactus League games started, delivered a two-run pinch-hit double in a four-run sixth to spark the Diamondbacks to a 6-2 victory Friday over the Cubs.
D-backs starter Trevor Cahill walked David DeJesus to open the Cubs first, Luis Valbuena singled and Anthony Rizzo hit a RBI double. One out later, Nate Schierholtz hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Jeff Samardzija, vying for the Cubs’ Opening Day assignment, breezed through the first but had some trouble in the second. The Diamondbacks loaded the bases in the second on a single and two walks, and a run scored when Mark Teahen hit into a double play. Samardzija gave up one run on one hit and three walks over three innings, striking out one.
“You don’t want to be in those situations [like the second inning],” Samardzija said, “but you’ll be in those situations during the year and it’s almost like when you get in those situations like I was today, if you take a deep breath, and understand, ‘OK, let’s work on getting out of this,’ so if it comes up in the season, you have a better idea of how to do it.”
Teahen hit a one-out RBI single in the fourth off Michael Bowden to tie the game. Arizona loaded the bases in the sixth against Rafael Dolis, who then walked two in a row to force in two runs. Dolis exited, and Campana, who was designated for assignment Feb. 10, then traded to Arizona one week later for two 17-year-old Minor League pitchers, greeted Blake Parker with a two-run double.
“Good for him, bad for us,” Dale Sveum said of Campana, who also hit a triple.
Campana is slated to open the season with the D-backs’ Triple-A team.
– Carrie Muskat
3/1 Samardzija: Cubs need good start
Jeff Samardzija is hoping he does enough to win the Opening Day assignment but says a strong start for the team is more important. Samardzija tuned up Friday, pitching three innings against the Diamondbacks at HoHoKam Stadium. He gave up one run on one hit and three walks.
Last year, the Cubs dealt several veteran players at the Trade Deadline when it was clear the team was no longer in contention. The players want to avoid another overhaul of the roster.
“I feel like the beginning of the season could be as important as we’ll have,” Samardzija said. “Spring Training is really big for us, too, just getting this team together and realizing where we want out lineup to be and everything like that. It’s very important, very, very important, especially with guys like [Matt] Garza and these different dudes who are about to be free agents.
“We need to show when they’re on this team that we’re a more capable team to win games and make the playoffs and go from there,” Samardzija said. “That’s for us to prove on the field, and as long as we do that, then you can add pieces instead of taking them away, which is where you want to be.”
He understands why the front office would make deals as they try to improve the farm system.
“If we’re out of it, I doubt they’ll keep the whole team together,” Samardzija said. “That’s not what our plan is. Our plan is to put them in a tough situation on what they want to do halfway through the year and through September and go from there. If we’re doing our job and winning ballgames, they’ll have a tough decision on what they want to do. That’s our job as players on the field.”
– Carrie Muskat
3/1 Cubs lineup
It’s time for March Madness, Spring Training style. Jeff Samardzija takes the mound for his second Cactus League start. Here’s the Cubs lineup for Friday vs. the Diamondbacks:
DeJesus CF
Valbuena SS
Rizzo 1B
Soriano DH
Schierholtz RF
Castillo C
Jackson LF
Watkins 2B
Maysonet 3B
– Carrie Muskat
2/26 Bunt tourney update
Brent Lillibridge, Michael Brenly, Jeff Samardzija and Blake Parker advanced in the Cubs bunting tourney on Tuesday. Here are the players who have reached the sweet 16 and their next match:
Pitchers
Travis Wood vs Nate Halm, video guy
Jeff Samardzija vs Blaker Parker
Position players
Brent Lillibridge vs Michael Brenly
Edwin Maysonet vs Andy Lane, bullpen catcher
– Carrie Muskat
2/24 Cubs 4, Giants 3
Jeff Samardzija was able to avoid getting hit by a comebacker on Sunday. Matt Cain wasn’t as lucky. Cain took a shot off his right leg and was limited to one inning in the Giants’ 4-3 loss to the Cubs.
Alfonso Soriano lined a single off Cain’s leg in the first. Soriano’s hit loaded the bases with one out, and Nate Schierholtz then grounded out to first, driving in a run. Dioner Navarro followed with a three-run homer to open a 4-0 lead. Cain was pulled after the one inning.
“It’s part of the game. You hope you get out of the way,” said Cain, who was not expected to miss his next outing.
Francisco Peguero doubled with two outs in the Giants first and scored on Guillermo Quiroz’s single off Samardzija. Pablo Sandoval hit a RBI double in the third and Quiroz added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 4-3.
Samardzija was able to work his fastball and split but called his slider “garbage.” He’ll try to get a feel for that in his next start.
“The slider last year was key for me,” said the right-hander, who is entering his second full season as a starter. “To be pulling it in and leaving it up high was unfortunate but it’s first time out. It’s a big pitch for me.”
He also showed his quick reflexes, dodging a shot from Quiroz in the second. Teammate Darwin Barney hit a comebacker at Samardzija during a live batting practice session at Fitch Park before games began.
“Both of them were about as close as they get,” Samardzija said. “I got out of there in proper time. Apparently, the coaches in Spring Training said, ‘Stay up the middle’ with these hitters. Cain took a couple up the middle and I did, too. It’s part of the fun. You have to be on your toes and ready to go.”
Samardzija did field a hard hit comebacker by Kensuke Tanaka in the first. Navarro went out to talk to his pitcher after Quiroz’s single nearly clipped Samardzija.
“After the second time, I went out there and asked him where the magnet was,” Navarro said.
Soriano, Brian Bogusevic and Johermyn Chavez were each 2-for-2. Kyuji Fujikawa made his Cactus League debut, and gave up one hit, striking out two.
– Carrie Muskat
2/24 Samardzija bids for Opening Day
Matt Garza has yet to resume baseball activities and Edwin Jackson won’t make his first Cactus League start until Tuesday. Jeff Samardzija wants everyone healthy and competing before Cubs manager Dale Sveum picks his Opening Day starter.
“I haven’t had that conversation at all,” Samardzija said Sunday after his first Cactus League start. “We’re still waiting to see what happens with ‘Garz’ and how he comes along. They know where I stand on it and how I feel.
“It’s nice to have a few guys who are capable of doing it,” he said. “Hopefully, it gets decided on the field instead of the training room. It’s more important to have ‘Garz’ ready for one of those first five games than rush him along. He’s a key part to this team and we all know that. It’s more important that he’s ready for Opening Day than start one or two here in Spring Training.”
Garza is sidelined with a strained left lat, suffered Feb. 17 during his live batting practice session. He has yet to resume baseball activities.
Samardzija, who gave up one run on three hits over two innings against the Giants on Sunday, wants the Opening Day assignment.
“It’s good as an athlete to see your hard work pay off,” Samardzija said. “Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. All these dudes in this locker room, everybody works their tail off to be as good as they want to be. When you start getting results like I had last year and things like this, it starts to snowball. I want to keep that good momentum going and we’ll see what happens.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/23 Time for baseball
Travis Wood takes the mound Saturday to kick off the Cubs’ Cactus League season in Tempe against the Angels. The Cubs will play 39 spring games, including an exhibition game March 15 against a World Baseball Classic team. It’s the most Cubs Spring Training games since 1952, which was the first year they trained in Mesa.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on WGN Radio. Len Kasper is subbing for Pat Hughes for now. Hughes will be in Arizona later this spring.
Wood is the lone lefty candidate among the starters. He was 6-13 with a 4.27 ERA in 26 starts last season with the Cubs. Wood did open at Triple-A, and was 3-3, 4.57 ERA. Other pitchers on the travel squad for Saturday’s game include Jaye Chapman, Rafael Dolis, Zach Putnam, Rule 5 pick Hector Rondon, Trey McNutt, and Hisanori Takahashi. Rondon has been limited to 13 games over the past three seasons because of right elbow injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2010. This offseason, he pitched in 23 games in the Venezuela Winter League, going 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA. Rondon appeared in four games in 2012, giving up one earned run over seven innings between Double-A Akron and the Indians Rookie League team.
There are some new faces on the roster with 13 new players on the Cubs’ 40-man since the conclusion of the 2012 season.
The Cubs play at HoHoKam Stadium on Sunday against the defending World Champion Giants. Jeff Samardzija will start for Chicago against Matt Cain.
– Carrie Muskat
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