Results tagged ‘ Matt Garza ’
5/30 Go Blackhawks
Jeff Samardzija may have beaten the White Sox on Monday but he lost to Paul Konerko in the shoot out between periods of Wednesday’s Blackhawks playoff game. Samardzija joined some of his teammates at Game 7 between the Blackhawks and Red Wings, which Chicago won in overtime, 2-1. Samardzija wore a Bob Probert No. 24 Blackhawks jersey. He was a big fan of the forward, known as an enforcer.
“He’s one of the guys I remember growing up,” Samardzija said. “I used to watch the games with my dad. I don’t think my dad was the best stick handler or skater either, and he had his buddies on the team and they were goal scorers. You breathe on them the wrong way, and I think [my dad's] job was to go straighten them out. I think that’s why he liked Probert which is why I like Probert.”
Between the second and third period, Samardzija and Konerko took part in the shootout. The Cubs pitcher missed all three shots. Konerko did much better.
“I was walking down there and they told me Paulie was shooting the puck,” Samardzija said. “I said, ‘He’s going to make me feel like an idiot.’ It’s the first time I’ve been on the ice with a packed house.”
The Cubs pitcher knows who’s the better hockey player among the two of them.
“He knows where [he is on] the totem pole on that,” Samardzija said. “He’s up top. He’s got a nice little wrister there. I was trying to finesse it.”
The Blackhawks may want to keep Samardzija and Konerko on call.
“I have a whole year to get ready for my next one,” Samardzija said. “They won, so if they have another Game 7, I’m pretty sure me and Paulie have to shoot the puck again at the second intermission.”
Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and James Russell joined Samardzija and Dale Sveum at the game at the United Center. They saw how excited Chicago fans can be when the team is successful. Samardzija feels that buzz now for the Cubs-White Sox series.
“To be honest with you, we haven’t had that many games where guys can see what the Chicago fans and big games are like,” Samardzija said. “They’re totally different when you’re playing big games and everyone’s coming out and fighting for tickets and there’s a madhouse in the streets. It’s a different feel than when you’re playing another team on a weekday here.
“To see that excitement and see how people react to situations and how bad they want to be at those games and how bad they want the playoff games, it makes you realize this stuff needs to happen now [with the Cubs] and as soon as possible.”
– Carrie Muskat
5/30 Looking ahead
Following the Interleague series against the White Sox, the Cubs play host to the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field. Here are the pitching matchups:
Friday: RHP Matt Garza (0-0, 4.00) vs. LHP Wade Miley (3-4, 4.53)
Saturday: RHP Jeff Samardzija (3-6, 2.85) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (2-3, 4.70)
Sunday: RHP Edwin Jackson (1-7, 6.11) vs. LHP Patrick Corbin (8-0, 1.71)
5/27 DeJesus downplays Cueto pitch
The Cubs did their best Monday to downplay comments Matt Garza made about Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who threw a pitch over David DeJesus’ head on Sunday. Cueto had appeared to take exception to DeJesus stepping out of the batter’s box in the first. In the sixth, DeJesus did it again, and Cueto threw a ball over DeJesus’ head. Home plate umpire Bob Davidson issued a warning to both benches.
Garza took exception to Cueto’s actions, and called it “total immaturity.” On Monday, Dale Sveum tried to dismiss the matter.
“Yesterday is over with. It’s people’s prerogative to make a big thing out of something that was no big thing at all. Those are their comments. I’ve got nothing to really comment on something that’s over with.”
DeJesus flew out to right in the at-bat and was laughing as he ran off the field but that’s because he was looking at the Reds’ Todd Frazier, who is a friend of his.
“I’m not really worried about it,” DeJesus said. “It’s great to have guys who back you, your own teammates. You want your teammates behind you, like Garza, who’s a great guy to have. I don’t think this needs to get blown out of proportion. It gave us a spark that we needed yesterday. We were able to come back and win a big game. We come into this series feeling fresh and feeling positive. I think that’s how we need to go. That’s over with, that’s done with and let’s move forward.”
What about Dusty Baker’s comments that Garza and Cueto should duke it out?
“That’s not a way to do it either,” DeJesus said. “It is what it is now, and hopefully, it’s over with, and let’s just move on. It’s not worth putting any more oil in the fire.”
There is no history between Cueto and DeJesus, who is very deliberate at the plate.
“I do the same thing every at-bat, so it’s not like I’m doing it just against him,” DeJesus said. “I have no problem with him, I respect his game, I respect him as a player.”
Soriano knows Cueto well but didn’t think the pitch was mean-spirited.
“I think Cueto was joking around with him because he takes time getting in the box,” Soriano said. “If [Cueto] wanted to hit him, he’d hit him because he has good control. Cueto likes to pitch real quick, and DeJesus is different, he takes his time at home plate.”
– Carrie Muskat
5/27 Dusty to Garza: Take care of it
Reds manager Dusty Baker was told Monday about Matt Garza’s comments regarding Johnny Cueto’s pitch over David DeJesus. Garza wasn’t happy with Cueto’s actions, and the Cubs pitcher said he’ll take care of things.
“Take care of it then,” Baker told reporters in Cincinnati, including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “I mean, [Cueto] couldn’t hit Wilt Chamberlain with that pitch. I haven’t talked to Johnny about it. I don’t think there’s any bad blood between them or whatever.”
Baker said Garza should deal with Cueto face to face.
“Johnny ain’t running. Know what I mean?” Baker said. “A guy can say what he wants to say, but it’s better if you go over and say it to his face. … I just wish, just put them in a room, let them box and let it be over with, know what I mean? I’ve always said this. Let it be like hockey. Let them fight, somebody hits the ground and then it’ll be over with. I’m serious about that. I come from a different school. Guys didn’t talk as much. You just did it.
“Guys are nicer now,” Baker said. “They all have the same agents, they all played on certain All-Star teams, they text each other, email each other. Nice game now. They talk before the game about how far you hit one yesterday off me. They’re nice.”
In case you’re wondering, the Cubs play host to the Reds June 10-13 at Wrigley Field. Stay tuned.
– Carrie Muskat
5/26 Garza to Cueto: Grow up
The Cubs were going to let Matt Garza go longer on Sunday than the 80-pitch limit imposed in his first start. He went long enough to get mad. Welington Castillo hit a game-winning RBI double with two outs in the 10th inning Sunday to power the Cubs to a 5-4 victory over the Reds, and snap a six-game losing streak. A Beach Boys concert was planned for after the game. Garza provided the fireworks in the Cubs clubhouse.
There was some friction in the Cubs sixth as Johnny Cueto threw a ball over David DeJesus’ head. Cueto seemed to take exception to DeJesus stepping out of the batter’s box in the first. Home plate umpire Bob Davidson issued a warning to both benches. Garza took exception to Cueto’s actions.
“Cueto should learn, you don’t go after guy’s heads,” he said. “Don’t wake a sleeping dog. I think that’s kind of immature on his part and totally uncalled for. He’s lucky that retaliation isn’t in our vocabulary. You play each game like it’s a new one. That’s [nonsense] on his part — just total immaturity. If he has something to say about it, he knows where to find my locker and I’ll definitely find his.
“I took total disrespect out of that,” Garza said. “[DeJesus] has never done anything wrong, he just plays the game the right way. If Cueto has any problem, he can throw at me, and I’ll definitely return the favor. I didn’t like that one bit. We don’t retaliate. We take it game by game. Hopefully, he learns to grow the [heck] up. That’s totally uncalled for.”
Garza wanted to make sure Cueto got the message.
“I hope he hears this because I really don’t care,” Garza said. “If we want to retaliate, we could’ve and lost a bullpen guy but we don’t need that. We play the game the right way. We’ll take our lumps when we take them and hand them out when we hand them out. I think we responded well to the warning and just play the game well.”
There’s no history between Garza and Cueto.
“I just didn’t like what he did,” Garza said. “I don’t know what happened but the guy is an always down in the zone guy and he threw into the arm side away box and that takes effort. As a pitcher, that takes a lot of effort. I don’t know what the deal is between him and [DeJesus], but he needs to cut it out because I’ll stop it. I’ll stop it. And that’s just the way it goes. He wants to do it like that, so be it.”
Garza said his message could be a warning or nonsense — he wasn’t sure how Cueto would take it.
“If the game was played that way, I don’t like it like that,” Garza said. “You don’t go intently and try to injure somebody. Hopefully the league looks at that. I don’t want him to get suspended or anything. I just want him to learn a lesson. Hopefully, his players will warn him. It is what it is, they run their own show. We’ll see him again down the line.”
Davidson told Cubs manager Dale Sveum that he didn’t feel Cueto was trying to hit DeJesus, but was just miffed at how long the outfielder took in the box.
“I think he was just goofing around throwing up over his head,” Sveum said. “I said, ‘Why don’t you throw him out of the game then?’ [Davidson] said he knew [Cueto] wasn’t trying to hit him.
“It probably woke us up as much as anything,” Sveum said. “It woke our dugout up.”
Back to the game. With the game tied at 4 and two outs in the 10th against J.J. Hoover, Scott Hairston walked. Castillo then lined the ball into the left field corner to score Hairston.
– Carrie Muskat
5/26 Cubs lineup
No changes in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale in Cincinnati. Matt Garza takes the mound for the second time since coming off the DL.
DeJesus CF
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
Soriano LF
Schierholtz RF
Castillo C
Valbuena 3B
Barney 2B
Garza P
5/22 Pitching & hitting
It’s not a good sign when the players with the most RBIs for the month are the pitchers. So far, Cubs pitchers have combined for 13 RBIs in May, and were batting .316 (12-for-38) with two home runs for the month. Outfielder Alfonso Soriano also has driven in 13 runs in May with three home runs.
Among the rest of the Cubs’ batters this month, Anthony Rizzo and Nate Schierholtz each have 10 RBIs in May, Starlin Castro has nine, David DeJesus has eight, catchers Welington Castillo and Dioner Navarro have three each, and the third base combo of Luis Valbuena and Cody Ransom three total.
In 2011, Cubs pitchers collected five RBIs for the season. Last year, they drove in 11. These pitchers take hitting seriously.
Here’s the pitcher-by-pitcher breakdown and their performance with runners in scoring position. The team is batting .218 with RISP; the pitchers are batting .286 (8-for-28):
Matt Garza 1-for-1 RISP, 2 RBIs
Scott Feldman 3-for-9 RISP, 4 RBIs
Edwin Jackson 1-for-2 RISP, 2 RBIs
Jeff Samardzija 1-for-5 RISP, 2 RBI, 1 HR
Travis Wood 2-for-4 RISP, 3 RBI, 1 HR
Carlos Villanueva 0-for-7 RISP, 0 RBI
– Carrie Muskat
5/21 Pirates 5, Cubs 4
Matt Garza had a solid debut but it wasn’t enough. Travis Snider spoiled Garza’s return with a pinch-hit grand slam in the sixth off Shawn Camp to lift the Pirates to a 5-4 victory over the Cubs Tuesday night.
In his first start since July 21, Garza walked three, struck out five, and gave up one hit, a soft single to right by Clint Barmes with one out in the fifth. The plan was to limit Garza to 80-90 pitches, and he was lifted afer 82. He had missed the second half of 2012 because of right elbow problems and strained his left lat Feb. 17. After having his patience tested, Garza finally made his season debut.
“It’s nice to have that kind of caliber starter back in your rotation,” Dale Sveum said.
Garza is the most animated player in the dugout on days he’s not pitching but tends to keep to himself before his starts, watching videos on his iPad.
“I think the first inning will be the key as to how things will go,” Sveum said. “There’s no question in all of our minds he’ll be pumped up out there.”
The right-hander threw 22 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the first and was saved by Julio Borbon, who snared Andrew McCutchen’s fly ball on the run, then slammed into the fence.
Alfonso Soriano and Welington Castillo each singled in the second, and with two outs, Darwin Barney delivered a RBI single. Garza then doubled into the gap in right center to drive in two more and open a 3-0 lead. Cubs pitchers now have 13 RBIs this month, tops in the Major Leagues. It was Garza’s second career double.
The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the sixth against Hector Rondon, and James Russell took over and walked Pedro Alvarez to force in a run. Camp replaced Russell, and one out later, Snider launched a 2-1 pitch into the center field bleachers for his first career grand slam.
Before the game, Sveum was asked about the importance of having Garza back in the rotation.
“To have the ability to have guys who have no-hitter type stuff going out there is always a nice asset to have,” Sveum said.
Garza nearly pulled it off.
– Carrie Muskat
5/21 Cubs lineup & roster move
The Cubs open a three-game series against the Pirates on Tuesday at PNC Park. Here’s the lineup:
Borbon CF
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
Soriano LF
Hairston RF
Castillo C
Ransom 3B
Barney 2B
Garza P
* Right-handed reliever Michael Bowden was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Matt Garza, who will be making his first start in the big leagues since last July. He missed the second half of last season because of elbow problems, and has been sidelined this year because of a strained left lat, suffered in Spring Training.
* Also, the Cubs claimed right-handed pitcher Eduardo Sanchez off waivers from the Cardinals. He will report to Iowa.
– Carrie Muskat
5/17 Minor matters
Matt Garza picked up the win Thursday in Iowa’s 1-0 victory over Tucson. Donnie Murphy drove in the only run with a sacrifice fly in the second. Brooks Raley gave up two hits over three innings in relief for the save.
Ty Wright hit two home runs and drove in four runs to power Tennesseeto a 6-4 victory over Jackson. Arismendy Alcantara, Jonathan Mota and Rafael Lopez each had two hits. A.J. Morris picked up the win in relief.
Dustin Geiger went 3-for-5 and hit his fourth home run but it wasn’t enough as Daytona lost, 12-7, to Charlotte. P.J. Francescon gave up 10 runs (eight earned) on nine hits and five walks over five innings. Geiger now has 30 RBIs, tops on the team.
Kane County scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to beat Peoria, 5-0, in the first game of a doubleheader. Gioskar Amaya and Marco Hernandez each had three hits, and Amaya drove in three runs. In the second game, Hernandez hit his first home run but Peoria scored six in the third to win, 6-2. Jeimer Candelario had two hits, both doubles. Kane County committed six errors in the second game.
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