ESPN

HOUSTON – Jeff Samardzija isn’t the root of the Cubs’ problems like the statistics might suggest.

Eight Cubs pitchers have taken a loss during the club’s nine-game losing streak and Samardzija is the only one to lose twice in that run.

This losing trend is mostly about a struggling offense, though. Samardzija has actually been the least of the Cubs’ worries. He is 2-2 over his last six outings with a 1.82 ERA.

“I thought I battled with guy on base, put a couple of good swings on the ball,” Samardzija said. “I need to get a couple of quicker outs there (in the fourth inning) and get our offense back in the dugout. But I thought I battled and made some pitches.”

Even on the two-run triple from J.D. Martinez in the fourth inning, Samardzija got the result he wanted. David DeJesus appeared to make a sliding catch on the right-field line but Darwin Barney, also hustling on the play, knocked the ball from DeJesus’ glove. It was the only scoring play of the night for the Astros.

(Read full post)

As far as scary moments go, Friday’s events for Paul Konerko were right there at the top of his most frightening times in the game.

The White Sox captain was concerned about possible vision loss after getting hit in the head by Jeff Samardzija.

“In the first 20 seconds I had blurred vision and was a little worried,” Konerko said. “Once I realized it was skin that had swelled up over the eye and not the eye itself I was OK in my mind.”

Konerko missed the last two games of the Cubs series over the weekend as he waited for the swelling and bruising to subside around his left eye.

“It was definitely tough not to play those other two games with the wind blowing out 100 mph,” Konerko said. “You don’t want to miss those ones, but that’s the game we play -- sometimes you get hit and have to sit out.”

Konerko totally exonerated Samardzija for the pitch. The Cubs pitcher called Konerko in the Sox clubhouse on Saturday afternoon to see how he was recovering.

(Read full post)

The aftermath of hitting Chicago White Sox captain Paul Konerko with a pitch on Friday was a bit surprising to Chicago Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija.

The split-finger fastball that tailed up and in to Konerko’s face has been interpreted as a purpose pitch on some national television broadcasts.

“I think those things create a big stir when things actually do happen,” Samardzija said. “In those cases you have to use common sense and know that I have him 0-2 and I’m throwing a splitter at 84 mph. I am not trying to hit him, I want to strike him out. There are times that you look at (a hit by pitch) as pretty obvious what has happened. Mine definitely wasn’t (intentional), but you have to have something to talk about.”

Samardzija was so concerned about Konerko’s health that he checked updates on his condition and tried calling Konerko after batting practice Saturday.

“Knowing that I did not hit Paul intentionally helped me move on after the game,” Samardzija said. “I did have to get over the initial hump of seeing a guy you know and respect take one over the eye. That is one spot for baseball guys that is sacred, around your vision. I’m sure it was a scary one for him but I had to get over the fact. It was an accident. Everyone knows Paul is a tough guy and he will bounce back big. I got word is he is all right and will be back soon so I wish him the best.”

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Jeff Samardzija prepared for his first start during a Cubs- White Sox game by taking a little dig at his cross-town rival on the eve of the series.

The former reliever, who claimed to be a fan of both Chicago baseball teams when he grew up in Northern Indiana, sounded Thursday as if he may have had an affinity for the White Sox when he was younger. But that didn’t stop him from taking a shot.

Samardzija, who is starting in the series opener Friday, was asked if there was any phrase or saying from White Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson that he enjoyed in his youth. He started out praising the White Sox’s old broadcast team, then turned on the club.

“There’s a lot of them, man,” Samardzija said. “I always liked the ones where he didn’t talk for like an inning and a half. Then all of a sudden he’d be like, ‘The 2-2, two outs …’ It’s like, well, where were the other 15 pitches that happened that inning?

“That was when (Darrin Jackson) was (on TV) too. I loved watching those guys. They’re entertaining. I always liked his ‘Hose’ call. That was my favorite. They’re fun to watch, fun to listen to. Like I said, you can always get a good nap in during the Sox game.”

It wasn’t as if White Sox fans were going to give the former Notre Dame wide receiver a free pass anyway. He just made sure to get the loudest reaction when games shift to U.S. Cellular Field for a June 18-20 series

“I’m actually looking forward to pitching down there,” he said. “That’s like pitching in my backyard. It’s like 20 minutes from my house.”

It might be close, but don’t expect White Sox fans to let him feel like he’s at home.

MILWAUKEE -- Despite a bullpen that has yet to gain any traction, manager Dale Sveum still trusted his relievers with the final four innings Sunday.

What looked like a questionable move when he pinch hit for Jeff Samardzija in the sixth inning, paid off handsomely when that hitter, Reed Johnson, hit a home run and the offense poured it on late with base hits.

Samardzija had given up little and was locked in a 1-1 tie with Milwaukee Brewers starter Marco Estrada when it was his turn to lead off the sixth inning.

Samardzija was even headed to the bat rack when he noticed that Sveum had other plans.

“They caught me pretty quick there coming down the dugout,” Samardzija said. “But when you have guys like Reed and them to pinch hit for you, especially with the top of the lineup coming up it’s the way it goes sometimes.”

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Make it four consecutive strong starts and counting for Cubs left-hander Paul Maholm, who has joined the team's collection of solid rotation guys.

Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza and Jeff Samardzija have also been impressive in the early going, with the starters posting a 2.52 ERA over the last 16 games.

After allowing just one run in each of his last three starts, Maholm topped that by giving up nothing over seven innings in the Cubs' 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

"Whenever I take the ball I'm going to expect to go deep into the game and let the defense pick me up and win games," Maholm said. "Whether you're the No. 1 or the No. 5, the day you pitch is your day. You're the No. 1 guy and you have to get the job done. I think the last four games I've pitched well."

(Read full post)

How does one explain the emergence of Jeff Samardzija as one of the top pitchers in the National League after the new Chicago Cubs starter struggled to hang on for years?

“He has been the most improved pitcher in the game from last June until right now, ” said one of the top scouts in baseball, who works for a National League East team. “It starts with fastball command and a consistent arm slot and ends with four pitches he can throw for a strike.”

Samardzija was slow to develop due to the organization’s need to have him pitch out of the bullpen during Lou Piniella’s years as manager. At this point of his career the sky may be the limit as to how good a pitcher he could be.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum concurs that his ascension began last summer.

“No doubt about it, because I saw it on the other side of the fence (as a Brewers coach ), when we faced the Cubs the later part of the season, I said, ‘Wow, this is a whole different guy,’” Sveum said. “Even our hitters who are quality guys in Milwaukee said this was a whole different animal than before.”

Give the kid from Indiana credit for working through other people’s doubts about his baseball ability and desire. He has shown his dedication to making himself a ballplayer after signing a $10.8 million bonus out of Nortre Dame, where he was more known as an All-American football player than a pitcher.

Samardzjia started his work at winning a rotaton slot in the majors with a vision and a lot of hard work that began last fall in Mesa, Ariz. and is finally paying off.

CHICAGO -- After taking a series from the Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs got a jump on the Atlanta Braves with a 5-1 victory Monday.

How it happened: Jeff Samardzija was solid yet again, giving up one run on five hits over seven innings. Carlos Marmol put everybody on a roller coaster ride in a set-up role during the eighth inning, walking two while striking out two without giving up a run. The power game continues to emerge as Bryan LaHair, Ian Stewart and Geovany Soto all went deep.

What it means: It’s too soon to say that the old Marmol is back, but he finally showed the fire that had been missing. After creating his own mess with a pair of walks to lead off the inning, he escaped the jam with a line drive and two strikeouts, all with no mound visit from the bench. When it was done Marmol pounded his chest and sent the crowd in to a frenzy, something that didn’t seem likely any time soon when he was removed from his closer role on Friday.

Outside the box: LaHair and Stewart gave the Cubs their first back-to-back home runs of the season when the left-handed sluggers each connected in the fourth inning. It was the first time the Cubs had back-to-back home runs since another first-base, third-base combination did the trick Aug. 11 of last season. Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena pulled it off that day.

Off beat: Reed Johnson got more than he bargained for as a fill-in for Alfonso Soriano in left field. In the second inning, he had to prevent a Tommy Hanson fastball from hitting him in the face by turning his left shoulder into the pitch. Two innings later he thought he had his revenge only to fly out to the base of the left field wall in what was nearly the third home run in three batters for the Cubs. Johnson may or may not be happy to know that Soriano is expected to return to left field Tuesday.

Up next: The Cubs will send right-hander Ryan Dempster (0-1, 0.95 ERA) to the mound in the middle game of the three-game series against Atlanta. The Braves will answer with right-hander Randall Delgado (2-3, 5.14) in the 7:05 p.m. start from Wrigley Field.

CHICAGO -- The Cubs won Sunday’s rain-delayed 11-inning marathon just in the nick of time with a roster that was getting thinner by the second.

Already without Blake DeWitt, who was designated for assignment when the game began, the Cubs were getting short on bodies. Jeff Baker could barely stand because of a recent bout with a flu virus, but he was on deck at one point and nearly entered the game.

Ian Stewart, who was considered to be down for the count with the same illness, got off the clubhouse couch to actually deliver a ninth-inning rally-starting single and score the game-tying run.

(Read full post)

CINCINNATI – The good news for Jeff Samardzija on Tuesday was that a week’s worth of rest yielded a dominating start.

The bad news was the same as the good news.

In five starts this season, Samardzija has been impressive three times, but it isn’t like he necessarily wants to wait another eight days before he gets to deliver another gem.

“I’m just going to stay on my toes here,” said Samardzija, who was held back a day this time through the rotation since it's his first year starting and then had to wait again when Tuesday's game was postponed. “When they tell me I can pitch and they let me loose then I’m going to go pitch.

“[The coaches] have been great with staying on the same page with me and what the future plan is and what my schedule is so we will adjust to what they want to do and when they want me to pitch and hopefully kind of stay on a good routine so we can have some good rhythm going.”

(Read full post)

CINCINNATI -- The Chicago Cubs' first game to be postponed this season won’t have an affect on all the pitchers in the current series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Jeff Samardzija, who was scheduled to pitch Tuesday’s series opener, will now be moved to Wednesday night’s game. But Paul Maholm, who was originally scheduled to pitch Wednesday will be moved out of the series entirely.

Only Ryan Dempster will keep his scheduled day to pitch. The right-hander was scheduled to come off the disabled list Thursday against the Reds and manager Dale Sveum said he would keep it that way.

Samardzija, who has already gone a week since his last start, will have to wait one more day. It’s not exactly the ideal scenario.

“He had plenty of rest so I don’t know if this is a bonus or not,” Sveum said. “You can’t give him too much rest. These guys need to throw. It’s OK to give Maholm a rest, actually. That helps him out too.”

(Read full post)

PHILADELPHIA -- Thursday’s off-day gave the Chicago Cubs the chance to reset the rotation ever so slightly and they will take advantage of it.

Jeff Samardzija, who is in his first season as a starter, will be moved out of the series against the Philadelphia Phillies and will make his next outing Tuesday when the Cubs open a three-game series at Cincinnati against the Reds.

Chris Volstad, who last pitched on Wednesday, will stay on a five-day schedule and assume Samardzija’s spot Monday against the Phillies.

Samardzija’s pitch count has mounted quickly since opening the season with 110 in a victory over the Washington Nationals. He was held to a more reasonable 90 pitches in his last outing.

By moving him back a day, Samardzija will now wait a full week between starts, just one more way they are trying to preserve him as he adapts to his new routine as a starter.

“Any time we can use that to our advantage and see if we can monitor the pitch counts and innings, it’s just going to benefit him in the long run,” manager Dale Sveum said.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- Throwing just 90 pitches in his last outing and getting extra rest with Thursday’s off day means Jeff Samardzija should be completely recharged when he takes the mound in Philadelphia on Monday night.

The Cubs still don’t know how much mileage they will be able to get from the right-hander in his first season as a starter so efficient 90-pitch outings like Samardzija put together Tuesday can only help.

“I think if we can be efficient like we were and make those 90 pitches go into seven innings, I think yeah there is no problem with that,” Samardzija said. “I don’t think we can put too much into it so far because I think it will be an outing-to-outing thing. How is the outing going? Did I have some hard innings or easy innings? A lot of things will have to be taken into account, I think.”

The idea of being high maintenance makes Samardzija cringe, and he has been quick to jump on any questions that have to do with him being treated any different because he used to be a reliever.

But the issue has come up ever since he went 110 pitches in his season debut, just missing out on a complete game. He got the victory against the Washington Nationals that day, but seemed to labor in his next two outings, both road games, before getting back on track this week against the St. Louis Cardinals.

(Read full post)

CHICAGO -- When a team posts consecutive walkoff wins, the atmosphere in the clubhouse is generally pretty good . When those wins come against your archrival – as was the case following the Cubs 3-2 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday -- the mood is even more enhanced.

Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair has been a late-inning influence in the comeback wins on both nights.

“It’s great when that happens,” LaHair said. “I think we have a lot of confidence now, we just try to build on it like (Monday ). We can enjoy tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”

LaHair’s game-tying home run in the ninth inning came off left-hander Marc Rzepczynski. It was LaHair’s first hit off of a southpaw this season. He had been 0-for-6 against lefties until the game-tying blast.

“Thank God for the opportunity,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would get an opportunity to hit or not, but I was able to come through.”

The at-bat LaHair had on Monday against Cardinal closer Jason Motte started the game-winning rally, and had an impact on Tuesday’s game -- Motte had to throw 31 pitches in that loss.

“That was huge for us,” LaHair said. “He (had to )come up with 30 or 40 pitches and that put him down for the night, so it was good that we didn’t have to see him again.”

For the second straight night, the Cubs had a starting pitcher give up two runs or less and not get a decision, which didn’t appear to bother either Matt Garza on Monday or Jeff Samardzija after throwing 6 2/3rd innings of shutout ball Tuesday.

“That’s awesome, and that is the way baseball goes sometimes,” Samardzjia said. “You just got to hang in there, we still had six outs to try and get a run across.”

The Cubs needed a lift after a horrendous 4-12 start. Back-to-back walkoff wins have them feeling good about themselves for the first time this season.

MIAMI -- Three outings into his role as a member of the Chicago Cubs starting rotation and Jeff Samardzija is getting mixed reviews.

His brilliant 8 2/3-inning outing against the Washington Nationals during the opening weekend of the season shows what he is capable of doing when he is on his game. He even stood tall against the St. Louis Cardinals for four innings in his second start.

But ever since the fifth inning of that second outing, Samardzija has found himself on the ropes. Struggling to get first-pitch strikes Tuesday against the Miami Marlins, Samardzija found himself in more trouble and took his first loss of the season.

“They did a great job of making me battle all day and I need to be better with my first-pitch strike,” Samardzija said. “I need to get that leadoff hitter of the inning too.”

(Read full post)