Results tagged ‘ Matt Garza ’
2/21 Matt Garza update
Matt Garza, sidelined with a strained left lat, is making progress in his rehab. He had ended a scheduled 40-pitch throwing session after 20 pitches because of discomfort in his left side. He’s getting treatment and has yet to resume baseball activities.
“Right now, I just want to get ready to throw, get ready to start pitching for opening week and that’s where my timeline’s at,” said Garza, a candidate for Opening Day along with Jeff Samardzija and Edwin Jackson. “Spring starts — of course, they matter — but I’m more concerned about being ready by Opening Day.”
Garza arrived in camp feeling strong after missing more than two months of last season because of a sore right elbow that shut him down after his July 21 start.
“Maybe that’s what it was — maybe I came out too strong, too fast,” he said. “It is what it is, and now it’s time to get back to work.”
Spring Training camps opened a few days early so players could prepare for the World Baseball Classic, and the extra time may help Garza.
“It’s like [Dr. Stephen Adams] said, ‘Hey, time didn’t hurt anybody, so just relax, enjoy it a little bit because this will be the last time you’ll be off,’” Garza said. “That’s kind of the plan.”
It doesn’t hurt to raise his left arm.
“It’s just slow,” Garza said of his recovery. “Those muscles are the ones you have to really be careful with because they’re involved in everything you do. Some people say I shouldn’t even be laughing but it doesn’t hurt, so that’s the good thing.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/19 Garza update
An MRI showed Cubs pitcher Matt Garza has a mild lat strain on his left side, and he will be shut down for at least one week to make sure he’s pain free. GM Jed Hoyer said the problem area is where Garza’s lat and oblique meet.
“It’s safe to say it pushes back his first CL start and what it means for the regular season, it’s clearly much too early to say,” Hoyer said. “We felt [the MRI results were] really good news. It is a mild strain and we do think it’ll be about a week until he should be pain free based on the MRI.
“Matt’s in good spirits and he felt much better yesterday,” Hoyer said. “We’re optimistic and it was certainly a positive read from our standpoint.”
Garza, who was facing batters for the first time since July 21, ended what was supposed to be a 40-pitch session after 20 because of discomfort in his left side. He missed the latter part of last season with a right elbow injury.
– Carrie Muskat
2/19 Samardzija’s mountain climbing
Matt Garza may be sidelined with a strained left lat but that doesn’t mean he’s not in the mix to be the Cubs’ Opening Day starter.
“I know how Garza is, I know he’s a competitor,” Jeff Samardzija said Tuesday. “I know how big of a year he wants to have. To sit and count Garza out wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. I want that competition. I want me and Garza and Edwin [Jackson] to go out and compete for that spot. It’s only going to make us better and build us as a core of the rotation.”
Garza has been shut down pitching-wise since he came out of Sunday’s live BP session after 20 pitches with a strained left lat. He was to undergo an MRI. On Tuesday, he was working out on the eliptical machine. There’s no timetable for when he’ll resume baseball activities.
As for Samardzija, he was happy to dodge a possible injury on Monday when he danced out of the way of Darwin Barney’s comebacker during the live BP session.
“He sits on my cutter,” Samardzija said of Barney. “He’s not going to get another one.”
Samardzija is on the same schedule he was one year ago, and feels strong. The only change has been the absence of his training partner, Ryan Dempster. The two would run up Camelback Mountain.
“I’ve been up there a few times this year,” Samardzija said. “I guess [Anthony] Rizzo went and ran it yesterday so he’s probably hurting today. Of all the things that have changed for me, that’s been the big thing. For three years, me and Demp have been here in the offseason working out together. When you work out with someone who has a strong work ethic, it’s easier to work out. It’s easier to wake up early, it’s easier to go climb Camelback, it’s easier to do things like that. I’ve really had to learn how to push myself this offseason and do it alone, which is tough. That was great when Demp was here. You get to learn those things and learn how to work and learn when to work, too.”
Couldn’t Samardzija get anyone to train with him in Arizona?
“Nobody was down here in the offseason,” Samardzija said. “I was talking to my dog most of the offseason. My social skills took a hit.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/18 Garza to have MRI
Cubs pitcher Matt Garza will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of a strained lat suffered Sunday during his first session of live batting practice. Garza, who was facing batters for the first time since July 21, ended what was supposed to be a 40-pitch session after 20 because of discomfort in his left side. He missed the latter part of the season with a right elbow injury.
“The good news is his arm felt really strong and he was throwing really well,” Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said Monday. “It’s unfortunate for sure and it’s going to set him back a little bit but we’re still really confident.”
There is no time table for when Garza can resume throwing.
“At this point, it’s a little bit of a wait and see,” Hoyer said.
Garza was expected to have the MRI within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Hoyer was behind the batting cage when Garza was pitching. The right-hander stepped off the mound and started stretching.
“It wasn’t the most fun live BP session to watch,” Hoyer said. “He looked great and free and easy where you feel really good about what you’re watching and the next thing you know, you see a guy stretching his side.
“Right away, when you see a guy like that stretching, you think the worst,” Hoyer said. “It was a bummer but I’m glad his arm feels good and Matt’s in real good spirits because of that. It’s the kind of injury that you’re thankful happened in the first live BP. When these injuries happen in the last start of Spring Training it really hurts you in the season.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/18 Monday first take
* Matt Garza took part in photo day Monday without incident. As soon as we get an update on his status, we’ll let you know.
* There will be more live BP Monday. Jeff Samardzija, Travis Wood, James Russell and Hector Rondon are among the pitchers slated to pitch.
* Dioner Navarro is trying to get No. 30, which Travis Wood wears. It may take a little negotiating.
– Carrie Muskat
2/17 Orange crush
About halfway through Dale Sveum’s speech prior to the first full squad workout on Sunday, the players started to take off their jackets to reveal bright orange hunting gear tops. Then, they put on the orange caps.
“Of course, they gave me one with a target on it,” Sveum said, chuckling.
The quick clothing change was a humorous response to Sveum being accidentally shot by Hall of Famer Robin Yount while the two were quail hunting in Arizona before the Winter Meetings. Sveum was hit in the ear and back.
Cubs pitcher Matt Garza thought the orange crush helped ease things on the first day.
“Guys laughed it off and Skip laughed it off,” Garza said. “I think it was a good icebreaker for a bunch of guys. I think it loosened the tone in there, loosened the feeling going on. Everybody’s first meeting, they’re a little nervous. Good one, whoever did it.”
It helped that Sveum took it well.
“He was laughing,” Garza said. “That’s always good. When the person who gets it is laughing, it’s good. If you get a mean face, it’s probably not the move you want to make.”
“It was actually funny,” Sveum said of the players. “All of a sudden, people are taking their jackets off, and it was like, OK, cool.”
– Carrie Muskat
2/17 Garza exits session – UPDATED
Cubs pitcher Matt Garza has a mild lat strain on his left side. It was not believed to be serious, and he was in good spirits after being examined by the team doctors. He ended his throwing session early on Sunday, and left the field with athletic trainer PJ Mainville. During the first day of live BP, Garza faced three batters, and then Jorge Soler stepped into the cage. Garza stopped his session, stepped off the mound, and appeared to be trying to get loose. Manager Dale Sveum and pitching coach Chris Bosio went to the mound, as did Mainville. Garza then exited. This was the first time he’s faced batters since his last start July 21, missing time last year because of a right elbow injury. He was scheduled to throw 40 pitches, and threw 20.
“I threw the first fastball from the stretch, and it was like a water cramp,” Garza said. “I didn’t drink that much water today. Naturally, I’m not going to push it. My arm felt fine, so I was pretty pumped about that. The ball felt good coming out of my hand. I think that’s what I’m most upset about — I was like, ‘Yeah.’ It shouldn’t be a big thing and we’ll see [Monday].”
– Carrie Muskat
2/16 Intrasquad games & live BP
The Cubs will play intrasquad games Thursday and Friday, with Chris Rusin, Cory Wade, Trey McNutt, Nick Struck, Robert Whitenack and Rafael Dolis scheduled to pitch Thursday. Brooks Raley, Drew Carpenter, Hector Rondon, Dayan Diaz, Alberto Cabrera, Michael Bowden, Blake Parker and Jensen Lewis were slated to pitch Friday.
Live batting practice, always one of the highlights of spring, will start Sunday. Position players are always at a disadvantage. Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, Scott Feldman and Kyuji Fujikawa, Raley, Rusin, Struck and Carlos Marmol are scheduled to throw Sunday.
– Carrie Muskat
2/15 Friday’s first watch
* Carlos Villanueva prepared himself this spring to start and could do so if Matt Garza isn’t ready to go Opening Day. The Cubs seem to be leaning toward using Villanueva out of the bullpen.
“I’m a starter, and I’ve always seen myself as a starter,” Villanueva said. “I think when given the opportunity to start, I think I’ve handled myself well. To me, it’s the first week of spring. I’ve prepared myself for a long season and for a lot of innings. How will those innings come? In the end, it’ll be determined by my performance, my health and not only by me and other guys, too.”
Villanueva isn’t going to pout if he’s not in the rotation — at least, not publicly.
“I’m not going to dwell on it,” he said. “I know I’ll have to talk about it, even though I prefer not to. It is what it is. It would be nice to come in one year and know exactly the role but I guess some guys like Felix Hernandez get paid the largest contract in history and some guys have to battle it out.”
In his career, Villanueva is 16-22 with a 4.80 ERA in 56 starts, and 17-13 with six saves and a 3.76 ERA in 245 relief appearances.
* Garza, Edwin Jackson, Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol are scheduled to throw their second bullpens in camp on Friday at Fitch Park.
* Position players report on Saturday, and Sunday’s full squad workout will be a little later than usual. Theo Epstein, Tom Ricketts and Dale Sveum will address the players before Sunday’s workout.
* There could be some uniform number switches before Opening Day. Stay tuned.
– Carrie Muskat
2/13 Wednesday first watch
* It’s Day 2 of pitchers and catchers in Cubs camp. Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol are among the pitchers scheduled to throw bullpen sessions Wednesday at Fitch Park. Samardzija says Jackson has fit right in and likes the right-hander’s approach.
“He’s one of those guys — you look at Garza and a couple other dudes — and they really don’t put too much into contracts or what the expectations are,” Samardzija said. “It’s just go out, get your work in kind of guys and that’s definitely Edwin to the max. He’s probably in [the workout room] now with his headphones on, getting his lower workout in, getting ready to start the day. It’s just another day for him. I think with all three of us being close guys and you throw in [Scott] Baker, [Scott] Feldman and [Travis Wood], we have a nice core group of guys who definitely get along well and are comfortable discussing outings and future outings. I’m excited to have different guys to bounce things off of for sure.”
* Brent Lillibridge reported Wednesday. A non-roster invitee, he played for the White Sox, Red Sox and Indians last year, and combined to bat .195.
– Carrie Muskat
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